Friday’s Headlines Risked It for the Biscuit
Sadly, it's not that Gen Z doesn't want to drive cars, it's that Gen Z can't afford to. Plus, Popeye's can make drivers do wrong.
By
Blake Aued
12:00 AM EST on March 3, 2023
- Much has been made of Gen Z falling out of love with cars, but the reality is that auto-centric infrastructure will force them to get behind the wheel sooner or later — probably later, but only because cars are more unaffordable than ever. (City Lab)
- Tesla shareholders filed a lawsuit accusing Elon Musk of false and misleading statements regarding the company’s Full Self-Driving technology. (Reuters)
- Improving transit doesn’t have to be complicated. Just provide more buses! (Yahoo)
- Public health concerns and cities’ experiences during the pandemic are behind the push for car-free blocks and neighborhoods (City Monitor). Yet some U.S. cities are ceding public spaces back to cars now that COVID has subsided (Planetizen).
- Plans for a second rail tunnel connecting San Francisco and the East Bay are in jeopardy. (Chronicle)
- Declining revenue projections could scuttle plans to make Washington, D.C.’s Metrobus fare-free. (DCist)
- After decades of disinvestment, Cincinnati is embarking on a long-term project to reinvigorate its transit system. (Soapbox)
- With the Regional Transportation District preparing to ban riding transit indefinitely, Denverite went out and talked to homeless riders who just want a place to stay warm, as well as other riders who are on edge from the unhoused riders’ sometimes-erratic presence.
- The head of Reconnect Rondo explains why building a land bridge over I-94 in St. Paul is worth $45o million. (MinnPost)
- Despite smashing ridership records, the Minneapolis’ Nice Ride bikeshare is going away because corporate sponsor Blue Cross Blue Shield pulled its support. (Racket)
- St. Petersburg’s Sunrunner bus rapid transit line has been so successful that there’s talk of expanding it after just six months. (Bay News 9)
- A Washington state bill decriminalizing jaywalking is still alive, but right turns on red will remain legal for another year. (Seattle Times)
- A New Mexico bill would require cities to build protected bike lanes during road projects and provide $5 million to do so. (KRQE)
- Sound Transit has pushed back the Federal Way light rail line another three years, to 2035. (Tacoma News-Tribune)
- Words matter, and Oregon lawmakers recognize that with a bill that would replace the word “accident” with “crashes” in state law. (Bike Portland)
- Kudos to the Utah DOT for finding a traffic solution that doesn’t involve more lanes. (Vice)
- Yes, entirely too many drivers are crashing into buildings, as we’ve reported. To paraphrase Chris Rock in this case, though: I’m not saying it’s right … but I understand. (Jalopnik)
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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