Friday’s Headlines to Wind it All Down
Self-driving cars, money for transit, highway removal and the New York Times on "distracted" pedestrians. That, plus all the other news.
By
Blake Aued
12:01 AM EDT on March 19, 2021
- 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.
Blake Aued has been doing Streetsblog's daily national news digest for years. He's also an Atlanta Braves fan, which enrages his editor in New York.
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