Streetsblog

Thursday’s Headlines Stay Small

There's no reason for an electric vehicle to weigh 8,000 pounds with a six-foot grill, but automakers are building them anyway.

By Blake Aued

12:00 AM EST on January 5, 2023

Automakers chose poorly when they thought this Hummer was the type of vehicle EV buyers want. Motor Trend

Swapping out gas-guzzling trucks for electric vehicles might be a net win for the environment, but if those EVs are faster and heavier than ever, it could accelerate the pedestrian death crisis. Their bigger, power-sucking batteries are also less environmentally friendly than a smaller vehicle’s. (The Atlantic)
Experts predict that the drive toward zero emissions in the transportation sector will only increase in 2023. (GreenBiz)
A new California law prohibiting parking requirements near transit stops holds great promise but only if NIMBY groups don’t fight it and lenders go along. (Urban Land Institute)
Some Massachusetts legislators want to pare down the MBTA’s authority to subways and buses alone. (Boston Herald)
A Portland task force is trying to address decades of racist transit policies. (Fast Company)
Nashville set a record with 49 pedestrian deaths in 2022, 10 more than in 2021. (WPLN)
San Diego is proposing replacing 300 parking spaces with bike lanes on Convoy Street. (CBS 8)
Mumbai is declaring no-honk days and setting up sound barriers to decrease the city’s ceaseless car cacophony. (Bloomberg)
A study found that Berlin should demolish a short suburban freeway stub. (The May0r)
Who’s more unhinged: the cyclist who’s upset about an ambulance parked in a bike lane to fill out paperwork, or the right-wing media outlets reporting on her getting her “comeuppance”? (Breitbart, Outkick)