Tuesday’s Headlines Aren’t Filling ‘Er Up
Drivers are responding to high gas prices by buying less gas. Plus, the climate bill has money for demolishing urban freeways.
By
Blake Aued
12:00 AM EDT on August 9, 2022
- Thanks to high gas prices, demand for gas has fallen below the summer of 2020, when much of the country was under COVID lockdowns. (Bloomberg)
- An overlooked provision in Senate Democrats’ newly passed climate and health care bill would provide $3 billion to restore communities torn apart by urban freeways, in addition to the $1 billion from last year’s infrastructure act. (Route Fifty)
- California regulators accused Tesla of misleading the public that its cars are fully self-driving. (New York Times)
- Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez tackles speeding and its deadly consequences.
- The Metro Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority is considering going fare-free (AJC). Meanwhile, Denver is in the midst of a fare-free pilot program that’s saving regular riders money while also drawing new ones (Denver Post).
- Boston is considering replacing its trolleybuses, powered by an overhead wire, with battery-electric buses. But because the batteries don’t work well in the cold, the new buses will need diesel heaters, making them more polluting than the zero-emissions trolleybuses. (The Guardian)
- The Baker-Polito administration announced $16 million in funding for transit-oriented development in Massachusetts. (Intelligent Transport)
- Dallas Area Rapid Transit issued a call for proposals to develop parking lots around six stations. (Bisnow)
- The Minnesota DOT is testing driverless shuttle buses. (Minneapolis Star-Tribune)
- Oregon Public Broadcasting takes a deep dive into how ’80s and ’90s anti-sprawl activists headed off a proposed freeway near Portland.
- Bike safety isn’t just for cities — one small Utah town cobbled together $9 million to add bike lanes to a deadly two-lane highway. (Salt Lake Tribune)
- Some cyclists who prefer old-fashioned foot power are feuding with those who ride e-bikes. (Washington Post)
- The Uber app has a handy new feature! (The Onion)
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
Why US Roads Are Full of SUVs and Trucks, Part I
Everyone says that Americans just love SUVs and pick-ups. But is that really true — or are there solvable structural reasons why our streets look like a monster truck rally?
October 19, 2026
Aging in Place Is a Mobility Problem, Too
How Sain is going the extra mile to help seniors age in place, even if doing it is an uphill climb.
October 19, 2026
Monday’s Headlines Are On the Ballot
Will you have an opportunity to fund transit when you go to the polls on November 3?
October 19, 2026
Every Friday’s Headline Is Sacred
When transit funds are wasted, God gets quite irate.
October 16, 2026
Friday Video: When Walkability Isn’t Enough … Even in the Great Cities of Europe
What happens when livable places get overwhelmingly popular before we can build more of them — or when other failures of design and governance make them bad places to live?
October 16, 2026
