Streetsblog

Monday’s Headlines Are Already Infuriating

New dads can't take time off, we're not going to meet climate change goals, and giant trucks are killing us. Ugh.

By Blake Aued

12:01 AM EDT on October 18, 2021

Because we live in the darkest timeline, conservatives are mocking Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg for taking paternity leave after adopting newborn twins with his husband, Chasten. (NBC News)
West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin wants means-testing and a work requirement for the child tax credit in Democrats’ reconciliation bill (Axios), a demand that also threatens transit funding included in that bill and the bipartisan infrastructure bill.
Countries’ current plans to cut carbon emissions mean the world will fall well short of the net-zero 2050 target. (The Guardian)
It’s no secret that vehicles are getting bigger, heavier and more deadly to pedestrians and cyclists. Replacing trucks, SUVS and minivans with ordinary cars would save more than 8,000 lives a year. (Sidewalk Talk)
E-scooter companies are getting more selective about expansion as they face tougher regulations, more demanding customers and wary insurers. (Reuters)
The D.C. Metro pulled more than half its rail cars out of service after discovering safety problems. (Washington Post)
Going against national trends recognizing that jaywalking should not be a crime, the Massachusetts legislature is considering a bill to increase fines for not crossing at a crosswalk (Boston 25). On the bright side, Boston is limiting parking at large new developments (Streetsblog MASS).
A St. Louis police officer who killed a 12-year-old girl while pursuing a suspect was acquitted. (Post-Dispatch)
Portland is moving forward with new fees on drivers. (Bike Portland)
Charlotte’s new long-range development plan includes denser housing in single-family neighborhoods. (Observer)
Colorado’s new rule requiring greenhouse gas emissions to be taken into account for transportation projects could be a model for the nation, but it needs a stronger equity/social justice component. (NRDC)
Confused self-driving cars keep self-driving down the same San Francisco dead-end street. (KPIX)

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.

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