Friday’s Headlines Are Melting
A cross-Atlantic heat wave is affecting transit service. Worker shortages are, too.
By
Blake Aued
12:00 AM EDT on July 22, 2022
- Temperatures soaring above 100 degrees are stressing transit systems in the U.S. and UK because rails can’t handle the heat (Bloomberg). And a lot of that heat in cities is due to cars, not even counting all the CO2 they pump into the air (Treehugger).
- More than 70 percent of transit agencies have been forced to cut service by shortages of bus operators. (Streetsblog USA, Transit Center)
- Lyft is laying off 60 people and closing its car-rental arm. (TechCrunch)
- This will harsh your buzz: A new study found that fatal car crashes rose 4 percent in states that have legalized recreational marijuana. (Daily Beast)
- A top Washington, D.C. official says the region should address traffic and equity by building more housing near jobs and transit. (Washington Post)
- Amazon is halting construction on several office towers near Seattle, another sign that the work-from-home trend is here to stay and could turn transit and land use on their heads. (Seattle Times)
- Providing up-to-date information and more reliable service, lowering fares and improving accessibility are four ways for the Philadelphia’s transit agency to boost ridership. (WHYY)
- After the failure of the Durham-Orange light rail line, the North Carolina city now plans to spend $1.1 billion on transit by 2040, but mostly on buses. (Mass Transit Mag)
- Austin has a new and improved park that not everyone can enjoy because of a sidewalk to nowhere. (KXAN)
- Columbia, Missouri, residents are comparing their deadliest road to a NASCAR track. (Daily Tribune)
- Portland’s Pedalpalooza celebrates the city’s beloved bike-lane art. (Bike Portland)
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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