Streetsblog

Friday’s Headlines Are a Home Run

Can Shohei Ohtani take a baseball bat to all the asphalt covering our cities? Plus, you don't need a car for the All-Star Game. Click here for the headline derby.

By Blake Aued

12:01 AM EDT on July 9, 2021

Cities shouldn’t just tear down freeways, they should be focused on replacing pavement in general, which covers 30 percent of urban land area. (Next City)
In its biggest investment in 50 years, Amtrak is spending $7 billion to upgrade its rolling stock by replacing 40 percent of its trains over the next decade. (Washington Post)
President Biden is on the defensive about rising gas prices, with Press Secretary Jen Psaki saying that’s one reason he opposed a gas or vehicle-miles tax to fund infrastructure — even though higher gas prices discourage people from driving. (The Hill)
Folks in St. Paul had a big legislative win for their Rondo land bridge project, and they’ve privately credited Streetsblog’s coverage with helping them gain the momentum they need to make this happen. (Pioneer-Press)
Orange County, California, fought transit for decades, but now it’s building a streetcar. (Los Angeles Times)
Madison, Wisconsin’s mayor hopes Gov. Tony Evers has a plan to replace the transit funding the state legislature cut from its budget. (WKOW)
A Philadelphia e-scooter startup is looking to break into the bike-share business. (WHYY)
London is planning on reducing speed limits to 20 miles per hour, which should make streets safer and encourage people to ride bikes. (Traffic Technology Today)
A Toronto web exhibit documents how mass transit in the city has changed over the past 170 years. (Daily Hive)
A hero cyclist in Mexico saw a car blocking the bike lane and just … walked right over it. (Mexico News Daily)
At the All-Star Game in Denver? Here’s how to skip the rental car and get around on transit. (The Know)
This is what happens when drivers speed on wet roads. (Twitter)

Blake Aued

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.

Streetsblog

Streetsblog has migrated to a new comment system. New commenters can register directly in the comments section of any article. Returning commenters: your previous comments and display name have been preserved, but you'll need to reclaim your account by clicking "Forgot your password?" on the sign-in form, entering your email, and following the verification link to set a new password — this is required because passwords could not be carried over during the migration. For questions, contact tips@streetsblog.org.

More from Streetsblog USA

Bike Lanes

‘Premeditated Road Violence’: Toronto Protestors Block Bike Lane Removal

Toronto advocates are putting their bodies on the line to protect a bike lane the province wants to rip out — and and to fight a wave of anti-bike lane sentiment that this writer warns is sweeping the whole continent.