Wednesday’s Headlines Have Put On Some Pounds

Drivers are abandoning sedans for trucks and SUVs, and those trucks and SUVs are bigger, more dangerous and less efficient than they used to be.

By Blake Aued

12:19 AM EDT on August 16, 2023

Imagine crossing the street with this thing bearing down on you.

|GMC

The average new car is 1,000 pounds heavier than it was 40 years ago, and has gained 175 pounds in the past year alone — something even the automakers responsible for designing and selling those absolute units are starting to realize is a problem. (Bloomberg)
In an excerpt from her book "Inclusive Transportation: A Manifesto for Repairing Divided Communities," Veronica Davis outlines how cars contribute to everything from climate change to racism. (Next City)
More than 36,000 transportation projects are in the works thanks to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. (Smart Cities Dive)
Bike lanes are often treated as mere "local" projects, but one nonprofit is trying to organize a nationwide effort to treat them as seriously as interstate highways. (Streetsblog USA)
Phoenix is looking to express buses and microtransit now that statehouse Republicans successfully nixed future light rail funding. (Axios)
Dallas transit officials believed the perception of crime is holding down post-pandemic ridership, and recent route changes may have backfired. (Morning News)
Minneapolis city council members laid out the case for worker protections for Uber and Lyft drivers in the Star Tribune, while the rideshare services are threatening to leave if a pay raise passes. (CBS News)
A state grant that kept Tampa's streetcar free is running out, so local officials are considering a $2.50 fare. (WFLA)
A federal grant will help plan what could become Las Vegas' first light rail line. (Review-Journal)
West Hartford is applying for federal assistance to purchase speed cameras. (CT Insider)
Almost a third of downtown Salt Lake City is covered with parking. (Building Salt Lake)
Construction on a linear park in Atlanta's Buckhead neighborhood is set to start in November. (Georgia Public Broadcasting)
Austin is experimenting with "road sunblock" that causes asphalt to absorb less heat. (Chronicle)
Redditors rejoiced at this video showing an illegally parked car being towed out of a bike lane in Chicago. (Yahoo! News)