Friday’s Headlines to Wind it All Down

  • The Dallas Mavericks — and many media outlets — referred to the crash that paralyzed retired basketball player Shawn Bradley as a “bicycle accident.” A driver hitting a cyclist from behind is never an accident (Slate). Streetsblog also covered.
  • Earmarks are back in the U.S. House, and letting lawmakers once again request funding for specific projects could have a big impact on a future infrastructure bill. (Politico)
  • E-scooter companies are lobbying for a tax credit and funding for bike lanes to be part of the infrastructure bill. (Bloomberg)
  • The National Transportation Safety Board says another federal agency, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, is too lax on regulating self-driving cars. (Car and Driver)
  • After a recent U.K. court ruling classified its drivers as employees, Uber announced it will start paying a minimum wage, pensions and benefits. (Associated Press)
  • Connecticut has a $17-billion plan to remove and reroute the freeways that slashed through Hartford 60 years ago. (Mirror)
  • Many expensive Pennsylvania highway projects are under scrutiny since the state’s DOT has an $8-billion budget deficit. (Pittsburgh City Paper)
  • Truckers and freeway critics make strange bedfellows, but they’re teaming up in Portland to oppose plans to pay for the Rose Quarter I-5 widening with tolls. (Oregon Public Radio)
  • The Georgia state government is finally taking baby steps toward funding transit. (Saporta Report)
  • Twin Cities park-and-ride lots were rarely full before the pandemic, and with the 9-to-5 work week looking like a thing of the past, they could become even bigger white elephants. (MinnPost)
  • The American Rescue Plan provided much-needed immediate relief for the D.C. Metro, but suburban commuters might never return to transit. (Virginia Mercury)
  • Construction started on Washington, D.C.’s 16th Street bus lane. (DCist)
  • “Urban sleds” that resemble giant e-scooters are emissions-free and can carry heavier loads than cargo bikes. (Fast Company)
  • The New York Times thinks we’re incapable of walking and checking our phones at the same time.

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