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.
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