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Wednesday’s Headlines, Unplugged

Electric cars are getting bigger and more dangerous, and there won't be enough of them to prevent climate change — facts some news outlets ignore.

By Blake Aued

12:00 AM EST on February 9, 2022

PxFuel, CC

A New York Times story about the boom in electric cars doesn’t even point out e-bikes, which outsold e-cars, or road deaths, which is dependent on design, not power train. In fact, EVs, like their gas-powered counterparts, are getting bigger, heavier and more dangerous to pedestrians (Washington Post). Meanwhile, this Reuters graphic illustrates the near-impossibility of getting enough EVs on the road in time to meet climate goals.
Microtransit programs promise on-demand transportation for all, but they’re inefficient compared to fixed-route buses, and customers can face long waits at peak hours. (CityLab)
Transit agencies should be prioritizing the health and safety of and better pay for transit workers. (Transit Center)
Philadelphia is backing off a long-awaited plan to three-lane notoriously dangerous Washington Avenue. (Inquirer)
Transit agency MARTA is proposing a bus rapid transit line in southwest Atlanta, but some residents and city officials are holding out for light rail. (Journal-Constitution)
Pennsylvania will receive $234 million and Pittsburgh $30 million for transit from the federal infrastructure law. (Tribune-Review)
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s proposed budget includes a 20 percent boost in transportation funding. (Click on Detroit)
Activists are pressing Wisconsin to focus infrastructure funding on transit, bike and pedestrian projects. (Planetizen)
Uber and Lyft helped pass Prop 22 in California and want to pass a similar gig-worker law in Massachusetts, and now they’re turning their sights to Washington state. (GeekWire)
San Francisco’s city attorney is looking into Uber’s alleged discriminatory practices against transgender drivers. (SFGate)
Facing a homelessness crisis, Los Angeles County is considering housing people in parking garages. (Santa Monica Daily News)
Austin is going through a second round of lowering speed limits. (Monitor)
The Seattle Times editorial board wants Sound Transit to do more to stop turnstile jumpers.
Cincinnati announced the winner of an art contest to design a new wrap for the Bell Connector streetcar. (Enquirer)

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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