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:
More from Streetsblog USA
How To Push A Livable Streets Project Forward — Even in the Era of Federal Clawbacks
A livable streets superstar is launching a new organization to push forward some of America's most iconic sustainable streets projects — even if Congress is clawing back their funding
April 7, 2026
Tuesday’s Headlines Take an Axe to Transit
The Trump administration wants to cut transit and rail funding to help pay for the war against Iran.
April 7, 2026
The Financial Costs of the Pedestrian Death Crisis Are Still Stratospheric
The human costs of the pedestrian death crisis are unacceptable even as deaths begin to fall. And the financial costs aren't any better.
April 6, 2026
Monday’s Headlines Only Hurt Ourselves
Climate change has cost global economies tens of trillions of dollars. The U.S. is both the biggest culprit and biggest victim.
April 6, 2026
State Bill Would Stop Highway Expansions Near Vulnerable New Yorkers
Assembly Member Emerita Torres's Stop Highway Community Harm Act would ban the state from expanding highways within 200 feet of public housing or in ZIP codes with the highest asthma-related emergency room visits in the state.
April 3, 2026
Comments Are Temporarily Disabled
Streetsblog is in the process of migrating our commenting system. During this transition, commenting is temporarily unavailable.
Once the migration is complete, you will be able to log back in and will have full access to your comment history. We appreciate your patience and look forward to having you back in the conversation soon.