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Today's Headlines

Thursday’s Headlines Have an Epiphany

Automakers are starting to realize what Streetsblog has known all along: Many U.S. drivers want a small, inexpensive electric vehicle, but all they're being offered are ginormous cars most of them can't afford.

WMRapids, CC|

The Ford F-150 Lightning weighs 6,015 pounds.

  • The CEO of major automaker Stellantis acknowledged that electric vehicles are too heavy, too expensive and not efficient enough (Car Buzz). Meanwhile, a top Ford executive also admitted that his company's electric offerings are unaffordable, but he fingered the wrong culprit — according to The American Prospect, it's Ford's decision to produce only trucks and SUVs and the fact that prospective buyers are badly underpaid.
  • Much like oil, U.S. demand for EV battery minerals has foreign policy consequences. (Politico)
  • Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg talked up complete streets during a visit to the University of Illinois. (News-Gazette)
  • Uber reported its first-ever profitable quarter. (Forbes)
  • Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs signed a compromise bill to put a transportation sales tax extension before metro Phoenix voters this fall (ABC 15). But with Republicans stripping funding for light rail expansion while prioritizing roads, is it really much of a compromise?
  • San Francisco is lowering speed limits on 23 streets. (Standard)
  • Honolulu bus riders are unhappy that the city transit agency changed some bus routes to accommodate passengers on its newly opened light rail line. (Civil Beat)
  • The Southwestern heat wave could have played a role in recent delays on Dallas light rail. (Morning News)
  • Trenton officials hope that redesigning State Route 29 will restore access to the Delaware River. (WHYY)
  • Cedar Rapids and Iowa City are prioritizing their most vulnerable residents, like immigrants, when making transportation decisions. (The Gazette)
  • Meet Boston's "bicycle mayor," whose job is to think about equity, inclusion and safety. (WGBH)
  • Many Atlanta refugees were never taught how to ride a bike because it was forbidden in their home countries for women and girls. But now they're learning. (AJC)

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