Monday’s Headlines Have Sticker Shock
Photo: Kirk Thornton, CC
- A new car is now a luxury item by definition: The average price has risen more than $10,000 to $49,500 in just the past three years, with just five percent of sales clocking in at less than $25,000, an affordable price point for middle-class consumers (The Hill). With interest rates rising, the average monthly payment is now $730, up $74 over last year, and nearly 17 percent topped $1,000 (Edmunds).
- Trucks, including SUVs and crossovers, now dominate American roads, thanks to abnormally low gas prices, lax regulations and lots of money automakers spent on lobbying and advertising. (Washington Post)
- Buses are faster than streetcars, but the debate over which mode is better is more complicated than that. (Greater Greater Washington)
- Lyft is expanding its "green mode" option to 14 new cities, offering customers the option of hybrid or electric cars (Smart Cities Dive). Of course, the real "green mode" would be to walk, bike or take transit, instead of riding in a car by yourself.
- Crime in Chicago is up 62 percent since before the pandemic, and farebox revenue is down 51 percent. The head of the Chicago Transit Authority says "there's no question" those trends are related (City Lab). Newly elected Mayor Brandon Johnson faces the challenge of reducing crime without increasing police presence on transit by devoting more resources to services (Bolts).
- Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser's proposed budget includes hundreds of new traffic enforcement cameras, but the millions of dollars in revenue generated would go into the general fund rather than specifically to street safety. (DCist)
- Houston's proposed University Corridor bus rapid transit line could go underground. (Chronicle)
- A Fresno lawsuit contends that a $105 million Highway 99 construction project will lead to more pollution. (ABC 30)
- Political gridlock in Seattle could cost the city a federal grant to connect two existing streetcar lines. (Axios)
- Missoula is joining the ranks of cities that are eliminating parking mandates near transit stops. (KPAX)
- Cincinnati transportation officials may want to duck when they see the response to their new ad campaign. (Fox 19)
Stay in touch
Sign up for our free newsletter
More from Streetsblog USA
Wednesday’s Headlines Ask How Much a Life Is Worth
There isn't much of a financial penalty for drivers who kill pedestrians — even if those drivers are cops.
‘I’m Not Grieving Alone’: New Play Explores a Father’s Journey After Losing Two Children to Traffic Violence
Colin Campbell and his wife Gail Lerner lost both their children in a car crash with impaired driver. A new play explores how to talk about similar tragedies.
How Transit Saved Lives — And Became a Lifeline — During and After the Maui Fires
A Maui bus agency helped transport 42,000 people off the island in the wake of one of the most devastating fires in American history — and highlighted the critical role that shared modes can play not just in preventing climate-related disasters, but saving lives when they happen.
California Has to Stop Building Freeways. Now.
"People aren't used to thinking of freeways as fossil fuel infrastructure, but they are." And once built, there's no going back, no making up for the extra driving by trying to convince people that a bus or train might be a better choice - we're stuck with it.
Streetfilms Tours Emeryville, Calif., the Little City that Can
Did somebody say "encore?" Safe streets rock star John Bauters, Mayor of Emeryville, population less-than 13,000, gave Streetfilms producer Clarence Eckerson a tour of his city.
