Thursday’s Headlines Are Free for Everyone
Boston's Michelle Wu is far from the only mayor to push fare-free transit recently. Plus, ad campaigns that try to shame people into safety rarely work.
By
Blake Aued
12:00 AM EDT on June 16, 2022
- From Boston to Olympia, mayors are embracing fare-free transit as a way to address inequality. (Politico)
- Safe-driving ad campaigns mostly don’t work, and the money could be better spent on other strategies, like speed-limiting technology or designing safer roads. (Slate)
- The Biden administration is now taking a serious look at a gas-tax holiday (The Hill), which is a bad policy that doesn’t help drivers much, doesn’t encourage alternative modes and siphons money from transportation.
- Remember the time a self-driving Uber killed a woman who was crossing the street in Arizona? (Clean Technica)
- The Massachusetts Supreme Court blocked a Prop 22-style gig worker referendum that’s backed by Uber and Lyft. (CNN)
- The latest plan for Austin’s Project Connect calls for closing “The Drag,” a popular strip near the University of Texas campus, to cars. (American-Statesman)
- San Francisco museums want voters to allow cars on JFK Drive in Golden Gate Park again. (Examiner)
- Nashville Mayor John Cooper wants to ban sidewalk vendors in some parts of the city, saying they get in the way of pedestrians. (Tennessean)
- Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner has approved bike lanes on 11th Street, along with reducing vehicle lanes, pedestrian refuges, and more. (Houston Public Media)
- Milwaukee County is overhauling its transit system in an effort to lure riders back and avoid a budget shortfall. (Wisconsin Public Radio)
- The Pittsburgh Port Authority is now Pittsburgh Regional Transit, a name meant to better reflect its mission as, you guessed it, a regional transit agency. (Post-Gazette)
- Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo wants to transform the city’s ring road into a green belt. (Eltis)
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
Tuesday’s Headlines Say C’est la Vie to Equity
Racist transportation planning is perfectly OK with the Trump administration.
June 16, 2026
Safety Last: Under Trump, U.S. Roads Continue To Be ‘Dangerous By Design’
This is nothing to be proud of: Of the 20 most-deadly states in a 2022 report, 19 showed no signs of improvement or became even more dangerous.
June 16, 2026
New York Cyclists Struggle As Illegal Vehicles Flood City Streets
"Better street design" is not "some kind of mystery," says best friend of cyclist Dmytro Stechenko, who was killed in head-on collision with an illegal stand up scooter rider in the May 28 Queensboro Bridge crash.
June 16, 2026
The Bus Bench Revolution Wants You to Enlist — Here’s How
Not all heroes wear capes – some wear high-viz vests and safety goggles.
June 15, 2026
‘World Cup’ on the Podcast: Is LA Ready for the FIFA-Pocalypse?
In this special World Cup edition, SGV Connect talks with Foothill Transit about how transit agencies across Los Angeles County are preparing for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
June 15, 2026
