- Minority communities have to deal with dangerously designed roads while also trying to avoid interactions with law enforcement that could get them killed, too. (Transportation for America)
- Spurred on by Ralph Nader's expose, in 1970 Congress created the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. For a while, it brought public awareness to the dangers of car crashes, but now its standards are so outdated, they're useless. (Vice)
- Get ready to start dodging delivery droids on the sidewalk, because now Pennsylvania says they have the same legal rights as human pedestrians. (Axios)
- An engineers' group says the U.S. faces a $2.6-trillion shortfall for infrastructure maintenance and gave the U.S. a C- overall, including a D- on transit. (Reuters)
- Warren Buffett has $138 billion and owns a bunch of railroads. He can fix America's infrastructure. (Bloomberg)
- Cities have been adding e-bikes to their bike-share fleets during the pandemic. (New York Times)
- Three steps cities can take to keep people cycling beyond the pandemic include starting with pop-up bike lanes, calming traffic and establishing long-term goals. (The City Fix)
- Former NYC transportation commissioner Polly Trottenberg, President Biden's pick for the No. 2 job at the DOT, says she'll prioritize the Gateway rail tunnel if she's confirmed by the Senate. (Transport Topics)
- MinnPost profiles Robin Hutcheson, the “rock star” former Minneapolis director of public works who’s now deputy assistant secretary for safety policy at the U.S. DOT.
- On the Rose Quarter I-5 widening, the Oregon DOT is pitting Black residents who want minority contracts against mostly White environmentalists, which is a false dichotomy when pollution disproportionately affects communities of color, writes a Black environmental lawyer. (Bike Portland)
- A California lawmaker wants to install cameras on buses to nab drivers who block bus-only lanes, a form of automated enforcement that's common in New York. (San Jose Mercury-News)
- Pittsburgh residents are pushing back against transit projects intended to spur development rather than move people. (Transit Center)
- Drivers killed 26 cyclists in North Carolina last year, up from 19 in 2019. (Spectrum News)
- Omaha advocates are looking to build a transit system that restores the functionality of its mid-20th-century streetcars (World-Herald). And streetcars could make a comeback in San Diego (10 News).
- Boise is pushing ahead on a State Street bus rapid transit line. (Boise Dev)
- Chile is offering taxi drivers up to $11,000 to convert to electric vehicles in an effort to rid Santiago of smog. (City Lab)
- Contrary to popular belief, London’s low-traffic neighborhoods benefit lower-income areas as much as more affluent ones. (The Guardian)
Streetsblog
Friday’s Headlines to Close it Out
By Blake Aued
Stay in touch
Sign up for our free newsletter
More from Streetsblog USA
How Highways Rend Our Social Fabric — and the Challenge of Mending It
Roads are supposed to connect us. So why do so many highways tear our social networks apart?
March 11, 2025
Tuesday’s Headlines Walk the Line
Pedestrian deaths were trending slightly downward at the midway point of last year, but the trend over the past decade is still terrifying.
March 11, 2025
Massachusetts Lawmakers Are Still Spending Millions to Subsidize Elon Musk’s Car Company
In the three months between Election Day and February 5th (the last date for which data is currently available), Massachusetts taxpayers have sent $8.6 million in direct payments to buyers at Tesla dealerships.
This Company Wants to Electrify Bikes Faster Than Ever Before
For just $100 and a small monthly subscription, this company hopes to get the world on e-bikes — by leveraging the bikes they already have.
March 10, 2025
Op-Ed: Elon Musk Is Wrong About Amtrak
No, America should not privatize Amtrak "like China." But we could learn a thing or two from their rail success. (Spoiler: it's largely state-funded.)
March 10, 2025
