Wednesday’s Headlines Go for a Walk
Walking is getting more popular, and sidewalks are getting more crowded. Plus, the environmental benefits of protected bike lanes.
By
Blake Aued
12:00 AM EDT on November 2, 2022
- Studies show that people started walking more during the pandemic in many major cities, and advocates say that transportation leaders should respond by widening sidewalks. (Treehugger)
- A study of Guangzhou, China, and Bogota found that protected bike lanes lowered carbon emissions by thousands of tons. (Transport Matters)
- Protected bike lanes are the most cost-effective way to tackle the climate crisis and get polluting vehicles off the road. (Speed and Scale)
- Bicycling magazine cites a Streetsblog MASS database in an article about the growing number of libraries that are lending bikes.
- E-bikes provide fewer health benefits than pedal-powered models, but there are still good reasons for people who are older or less fit to buy them. (Montreal Gazette)
- Austin’s Project Connect includes $300 million for residents in danger of being displaced if new transit projects raise property values. But the money might not be enough — because there are 135,000 families who could be affected. (KXAN)
- Uber, the famous disrupter, seems to be maturing and working with cities and drivers rather than fighting them all the time. (The Guardian)
- Few Memphis residents are aware that homeowners are responsible for fixing sidewalks on their property — until they get fined by the city. (WREG)
- Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker wants to slow down a railway merger, while Republican challenger Darren Bailey is in favor of adding lanes to highways. (Daily Herald)
- Florida drivers didn’t get much benefit from a gas-tax holiday, but of course experts expect prices to rise the full 25 cents now that it’s expired. (WFTV)
- Portland’s TriMet is considering a fare hike even as activists call for eliminating fares entirely. (Willamette Week)
- Republican candidates in Washington state are claiming that antifa will use light rail to do crimes. (Seattle Times)
- Seattle should quickly paint bus-only lanes on every route to fight climate change. (The Urbanist)
- It’s cute that Los Angeles-area high schools are letting seniors personalize their parking spaces, but it also underscores the city’s car culture. (L.A. Times)
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
The California DMV’s Culture of Obstruction
California’s DMV is responsible for managing some of the biggest risks on the state’s roads, but researchers say a culture of secrecy and obstruction makes it nearly impossible for the public to access basic information about dangerous drivers and disabled parking placard fraud.
November 6, 2026
Opinion: I (Almost) Killed a Pedestrian With My Car
Every driver has a story or two about a near-miss traffic crash, even when they were doing everything right. Can we get those numbers down with safer systems?
November 6, 2026
Talking Headways Podcast: The Value of Cities
Cities are valuable precisely because there are so many people in them.
November 5, 2026
What It Will Take To Turn the ‘Blue Wave’ Into a Watershed Moment for Transportation Reform
Democrats won big at the ballot box in the midterms. Will they fight for multimodal travelers when they're in office?
November 5, 2026
