Streetsblog

Wednesday’s Headlines Are Getting Frustrated

Cities seem to be learning a lot about good transportation policy, but Washington hasn't gotten the memo.

By Blake Aued

12:01 AM EDT on October 6, 2021

President Biden signed a 30-day transportation funding extension that easily passed Congress amidst gridlock on infrastructure (Newsweek). More transit, Amtrak and complete streets funding? Whoa, hold on there. Making sure highway construction doesn’t halt? Sure, no problem!
OPEC won’t ramp up oil production despite President Biden’s desire for cheaper gas (CNBC). Good, because our editor wasn’t too happy about Biden’s request.
The pandemic bike boom led cities like New York, Chicago and Washington, D.C. to build more protected bike lanes (Smart Cities Dive).
Self-driving cars won’t be fully autonomous and won’t suddenly pop up everywhere, but progress has been made lately (Treehugger). On the other hand, beta testing on Tesla’s Full Self-Driving feature isn’t going too well (CarBuzz).
Washington, D.C.’s new law requiring e-scooter riders to lock up the devices won’t make streets much safer and could even push more people toward driving, which is far more dangerous. (CityLab)
A new study found that transit service in Baltimore is “insufficient,” especially for the many low-income and minority residents who lack access to cars and work jobs classified as “essential.” (Washington Post)
Residents of Portland’s dangerous 82nd Avenue are hopeful the city will make much-needed changes now that it’s taken over the road from the Oregon DOT, which they say neglected it in favor of freeways. (Oregonian)
Vermont won’t meet its ambitious climate goals unless it gets more people out of cars and onto transit fast, but that’s hard to do in a largely rural state. (Digger)
San Antonio needs to fund “transformative” projects with next year’s $1.2 billion bond issue. (Rivard Report)
The Memphis Zoo scrapped plans for a controversial parking deck in Overton Park, but still plans on expanding its parking lot. (Commercial Appeal)
Two people were killed when gunfire erupted on an Arizona Amtrak train being searched by the DEA. (CBS News)
A police chase in Houston that started with somebody doing donuts in a parking lot ended with three bystanders dead. (News Channel 21)
Auto-centric Birmingham, UK, is creating a huge low-traffic neighborhood in the city center by closing streets to cars, building protected bike lanes and introducing zero-emissions buses. (The Guardian)