Streetsblog

Friday’s Headlines Are Full of Regrets

Why didn't the U.S. make fundamental changes to wean ourselves off fossil fuels the last time gas prices were high?

By Blake Aued

12:00 AM EST on March 11, 2022

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

High gas prices are nothing new, but instead of investing in transit and imposing stricter fuel mileage requirements, the response has generally been to drill like hell while the auto industry builds ever-bigger vehicles. (Slate)
Cities and states will never make maintenance and repair a priority over new road construction unless Congress requires it. (Transportation for America)
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will affect the price of electric vehicles as well as gas, since Russia is a major producer of the lithium used in EV batteries (The Verge). As the world transitions away from fossil fuels to battery-powered vehicles, will Big Oil just become Big Lithium? (Mining Magazine)
Unions are calling on the Biden administration to enforce a provision in the infrastructure law protecting transit workers from assault. (NBC News)
WBUR has a podcast on fare-free transit.
Tearing down freeways that divide Black and brown neighborhoods can not only revitalize communities, but create jobs. (The American Prospect)
Albany, New York, residents are gaining traction with a new plan to remove a freeway that divides downtown from the waterfront and neighborhood from neighborhood. (CNU Public Square)
Cincinnati’s Bell Connector streetcar broke its monthly ridership record for the fourth month in a row. (WLWT)
A new study says Omaha’s proposed streetcar would generate $3 billion in new development. (World-Herald)
The Georgia Senate rejected a bill easing restrictions on distracted driving. (AJC)
A Massachusetts woman was stabbed to death by a Tinder date who put a GPS tracker on her bike in the Netherlands. (New York Post)
Brussels is offering residents up to 900 euros — almost $1,100 — to give up their cars (The Mayor). The revenue will be spend on bike-share equipment, transit passes and ride-share subscriptions.

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.

Streetsblog

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.