Streetsblog

Wednesday’s Headlines Smell a Little Musky

It's all about Elon. Plus, how cities can use transportation policy to revitalize downtowns in the wake of the pandemic and more headlines.

By Blake Aued

12:01 AM EDT on October 27, 2021

Tesla is backing off its latest version of “Full-Self Driving” mode after users complained about false collision warnings and unnecessary braking (Reuters). Meanwhile, Elon Musk stans are having an online meltdown because President Biden is appointing a critic of the company’s Autopilot technology — a woman, no less! — to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (Slate). None of this, however, stopped rental car company Hertz from buying 100,000 Teslas (The Hill).
Mayors and other urbanists brought together by Politico say improving transit and reducing parking are two of the keys to revitalizing downtowns after COVID-19.
Planners are skeptical of a billionaire and former Walmart executive’s plan to build a utopian city from scratch in the middle of the desert. (Route Fifty)
As Metrorail remains on reduced service due to a recent derailment and subsequent safety investigation, D.C. is offering all residents a free Capital Bikeshare membership for 30 days. (Washington Post)
The good news is that the Federal Transit Administration awarded Bay Area Rapid Transit a $2.3 billion grant for a San Jose extension. The bad news is the total price tag went up to $9 billion. (Mercury News)
A 10-lane highway is among the options on the table for a new I-5 bridge between Oregon and Washington state. (Bike Portland)
A Pittsburgh Port Authority study says the agency should do more to ensure that residents who depend on transit have access to housing near transit stations. (Post-Gazette)
Cleveland groups held a rally to push for including transit funding in the infrastructure bill. (News 5)
Bus-only lanes on 7th Street in downtown Minneapolis are being finished up this week. (Star Tribune)
Nashville is collecting public comments on a new sidewalk plan. (WPLN)
Boulder officials are proposing raising parking rates and fines. (Boulder Beat)
Nothing is more frightening to some of my fellow Southerners than transit, so it’s fitting that one Arkansas town temporarily converted its historic trolley line into a Halloween ride. (Democrat-Gazette)

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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