Friday’s Headlines Are Moving On Up
A Q&A with House transportation chair Peter DeFazio, the unpopularity of Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo's 15 Minute City and more headlines.
By
Blake Aued
12:00 AM EST on December 17, 2021
- Encouraging active mobility reduces congestion, pollution and deaths while improving the economy. (City Fix)
- Why should apartment-dwellers be consigned to live on wide, dirty, dangerous roads? (Slate)
- City Lab interviews retiring Rep. Peter DeFazio, an Oregon Democrat who’s been one Congress’ staunchest champions for transit and bike and pedestrian safety since the 1990s.
- The Oregon DOT wants to know if it’s possible to undo freeway bottlenecks without inducing demand to the point that greenhouse gas emissions go up. (Bike Portland)
- Washington, D.C. will remove reversible car lanes and add bike lanes to Connecticut Avenue (Washington Post) but bike advocates are pushing Mayor Muriel Bowser to move faster on safety improvements (Axios). The city is also considering extending its streetcar by 2026 (DCist).
- Nashville Mayor John Cooper released a Vision Zero plan focusing on the 6 percent of roads where 60 percent of traffic deaths and injuries occur. (Tennessean)
- A fare-free transit pilot program in Boston found that subsidy recipients were four times more likely to ride the bus. (Mass Transit)
- Seventeen years after promising an interconnected rail system, Colorado’s Regional Transportation District has yet to deliver. (Denverite)
- Too often drivers literally get away with murder, but a 110-year mandatory minimum sentence for a truck driver who killed four people when his brakes failed on a Denver interstate seems a tad bit excessive. (Jalopnik)
- Even with federal COVID and infrastructure funding, the Central Ohio Transit Authority still must dip into reserves to cover a $31 million budget shortfall. (Columbus Dispatch)
- Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo spent her first term transforming Paris into a more walkable and bikeable city, and won re-election by promising more of the same. Less than a year later, her approval rating is 40%, and her presidential campaign has yet to take off. (Politico)
- London is considering imposing a new tax to keep afloat a transit system that’s struggled during the pandemic without service cuts or fare hikes. (Bloomberg)
- A Dutch city wants electric vehicles to do double duty as batteries that store power for the grid. (Fast Company)
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.
Read More:
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
Talking Headways Podcast: Evolution, God and Transportation
Let's consider the totality of the human experience on this planet. Yes, it connects to livable streets, we promise. It's a very special episode of Talking Headways!
June 4, 2026
A Rolling Protest Helped Win Some of the Best Provisions in Congress’ New Infrastructure Bill
...and the advocates behind the ride are doing it again soon.
June 4, 2026
Thursday’s Headlines Are Tired of Tires
Yale has found more evidence that tires cause air pollution as they wear.
June 4, 2026
Want to Win a Statewide Race? Embrace Transit Early and Often
Steyer got a nice media hit when he "rode the D." Too bad it happened after most voters cast their ballots.
June 3, 2026
Most World Cup Host Cities Are Pedestrianizing Streets This Summer – But Not Boston
In a few days, host cities across North America will welcome huge World Cup crowds by pedestrianizing major streets – and in some cases, entire neighborhoods – to keep traffic jams out of the fan parades and festivals associated with the international event.
June 3, 2026
