Streetsblog

Thursday’s Headlines From Your Lizard Overlords

According to far-right figures like Jordan Peterson, the New World Order wants to eliminate cars and institute "climate lockdowns" because ... reasons.

By Blake Aued

12:00 AM EST on January 12, 2023

Thursday’s Headlines From Your Lizard Overlords

Jordan Peterson (pictured) went viral this week with his conspiracy theory that the installation of "traffic filters" in Oxford England are part of “well-documented” global plot to imprison and rob its citizens. Credit: Gage Skidmore

Conspiracy theories about bike lanes and congestion pricing are going mainstream. (The Guardian)
A lot of reporters writing about congestion pricing are doing it wrong. (City Observatory)
Contrary to fears that congestion pricing would impact lower-income people the most, the top 40 percent pay 60 percent of the fees in London, according to an MIT study. But governments still need to fund other modes to make it equitable. (State Smart Transportation Initiative)
E-bikes could provide the push needed to finally get serious about non-car transportation infrastructure. (Planetizen)
Federal funding represents an opportunity for transit agencies in 2023, but recruiting workers and riders, as well as dealing with inflation and supply-chain issues, remain challenges. (Mass Transit)
Small cities are experiencing unprecedented population growth, and should be ramping up bus service to deal with it. (Metro Magazine)
Transit agencies in Chicago and Philadelphia are making it easier for minority-owned businesses to obtain contracts. (Route Fifty)
Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) retired rather than give up his gavel as chair of the House Transportation Committee, but he remains addicted to infrastructure. (Roll Call)
Facing a $22 billion deficit, California Gov. Gavin Newsom is asking the feds for more funding to help struggling transit agencies. (San Francisco Standard)
D.C. Metro officials are hoping that improving service while optimizing fares to pay for it will avoid a fiscal calamity. (Greater Greater Washington)
Dangerous drivers and lack of protected bike lanes are making it hard for Seattle residents to commute by bike. (MyNorthwest)
Transit advocates are right to be skeptical about the Charlotte Area Transit System’s new numbers for Silver Line ridership. (Observer)
Virginia should get onboard with electrified rail. (Mercury)
After five years, a complete streets makeover of congested Howell Mill Road has yet to begin. (Urbanize Atlanta)
Something about being ensconced in several thousand pounds of metal seems to turn everyone into a middle-school bully. (Mother Jones)

Blake Aued

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.

Streetsblog

Streetsblog has migrated to a new comment system. New commenters can register directly in the comments section of any article. Returning commenters: your previous comments and display name have been preserved, but you'll need to reclaim your account by clicking "Forgot your password?" on the sign-in form, entering your email, and following the verification link to set a new password — this is required because passwords could not be carried over during the migration. For questions, contact tips@streetsblog.org.

More from Streetsblog USA

Safety

Driverless Cars Could Save Tens of Thousands of Lives. But We Must Treat Them Like Aviation — Not Like Cars

Commercial passenger aviation has nearly zero passenger deaths per year compared to about 40,000 roadway deaths. That's not a function of driving being inherently riskier — it is a function of what our leaders decide is "safe enough."