Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In
Streetsblog

Thursday’s Headlines Are Out of Batteries

An electric car like this Tesla is still a car. Photo: Steve Jurvetson, CC

    • Demand for lithium an environmentally devastating mineral to mine that's essential for electric vehicle batteries is set to explode by 4,000 percent if the number of cars on the road stays the same, highlighting the need for investment in transit, smaller batteries and better recycling. (Grist)
    • The Biden administration's focus on EVs is frustrating climate change activists who want to see more emphasis on transit and less driving altogether. (City Lab)
    • Tiny low-speed EVs obviously have a much lower environmental impact from mining, and are also more affordable that a Tesla. (Electrek)
    • Congestion pricing doesn't really seem to change driver behavior, according to one UK study. (City Monitor)
    • McKinsey consultants expect the micromobility industry to grow sevenfold by 2025. (Government Technology)
    • Critics say arguments over new bus routes are overshadowing other problems at the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transit Authority, like the way it treats workers and a discriminatory fare system. (Philadelphia Inquirer)
    • People of color and low-income Boston residents have access to fewer destinations by transit than wealthier whites. (Transit Center)
    • A Brightline/SunRail extension between Orlando and Tampa is complicated by the sheer number of companies and government agencies involved. (Mass Transit)
    • Oregon legislators are pushing back against tolling on I-5. (Bike Portland)
    • A number of Sound Transit's Tacoma projects are proceeding slowly. (The Urbanist)
    • Phoenix has extended its longstanding micromobility pilot program, which Mayor Kate Gallego says will help the city handle Super Bowl visitors next month. (Smart Cities Dive)
    • Chicago has found that installing infrastructure forcing drivers to slow down when making left-hand turns reduces crashes by 25 percent. (Axios)
    • Milwaukee is hiring for the newly created position of Vision Zero policy director. (TMJ 4)
    • Munich will ban most diesel vehicles from a low-emissions zone in the city center next month. (The Mayor)
    • The French city of Lille will pay commuters to stop driving alone during rush hour. (Eltis)

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Friday’s Headlines Back the Bikes

Setting aside the fact that bike lanes don't make traffic worse, resisting bikelash on busy roads is essential to creating a useable network.

April 18, 2025

Does Driver’s Ed Really Make Roads Safer? 

States like Georgia are taking a critical look at their drivers education programs — but some say the whole concept of driver's ed deserves scrutiny.

April 18, 2025

Friday Video: Ken Jennings Has a Web Series About Transit!

Jeopardy's host and most famous player is a big fan of the bus — and he's helping educate his fellow Washingtonians about why they should be, too.

April 18, 2025

Talking Headways Podcast: The Pacific Circuit

Alexis Madrigal connects containerization to globalization and its direct impacts on one Oakland neighborhood.

April 17, 2025

Thursday’s Headlines Wonder Why

Why are drivers killing so many pedestrians? Governing magazine has a number of familiar theories.

April 17, 2025
See all posts