Friday’s Headlines Fight for Our Rights
Uber and Lyft are joining forces with other companies to make the entire economy a gig economy. Plus, a new documentary about our deadly streets.
By
Blake Aued
12:00 AM EDT on August 19, 2022
- Uber and Lyft aren’t just trying to capitalize on their success with Prop 22 in California by denying labor rights to drivers in other states; they’re trying to remake the entire economy in ride-hailing apps’ image, with the help of similarly-minded corporations. (Slate)
- In the style of a crime thriller, a new PBS and Amazon Prime documentary brings to light to crisis of traffic deaths in the United States. (City Lab)
- Lyft is starting an autonomous car service in Las Vegas — with backup drivers — and in a rare moment of honesty about self-driving vehicles, the New York Times acknowledged it might be 20 years before the technology truly works.
- A silver lining of Boston’s Orange Line shutdown could be that more people bike to work. (CBS News)
- Since Philadelphia installed speed cameras on notoriously dangerous Roosevelt Boulevard, there’s been a 90% reduction in speeding tickets — proof that they’re working. (6 ABC)
- New York City is owed half a billion dollars in parking fines, frequently from out-of-state delivery drivers who flout laws and harass cyclists. (The Guardian)
- A California bill would expedite permits for climate-friendly transportation projects, preventing NIMBYs from blocking them in court. (Streetsblog CAL)
- Los Angeles is covering roads with reflective paint in an effort to reduce the heat island effect and cool the city. (Fast Company)
- It will be months before the MetroLink rail system in St. Louis fully recovers from July’s floods. (RT&S)
- Nashville’s Vision Zero plan passed the city council overwhelmingly, allowing the city to apply for a $30 million federal grant. (News Channel 5)
- In praise of traveling by the elegant and unhurried New Orleans streetcar. (Chron)
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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