Friday’s Headlines Do the Electric Slide
Cities and counties want to electrify their bus fleets, and federal funds are available to do so, but the private sector just can't seem to keep up with demand.
By
Blake Aued
12:01 AM EDT on September 1, 2023
- Local governments want to electrify their bus fleets (American City and County), and federal money is available — the D.C. Metro recently received $100 million (Washington Post). Yet bus manufacturers are struggling financially (Smart Cities Dive). What happens if they can’t meet all the orders? (Government Technology)
- Early data from NASA’s pollution-monitoring satellite shows unhealthy levels of nitrogen dioxide, a smog ingredient produced by burning fossil fuels, above U.S. cities. (Houston Public Media)
- Why aren’t more suburbs emulating Peachtree City, Georgia, and its extensive network of golf cart trails that can also be used by cyclists? (Bloomberg)
- After defeating a Utah oil train, Colorado officials and activists are hoping for passenger rail instead. (Colorado Newsline)
- Great — to deal with a bus driver shortage, Philadelphia is paying parents $300 a month to drive their kids to school. (WHYY)
- Connecticut transit is too car-centric, and it should emulate Stockholm’s more bike-friendly roads instead, writes a CT Mirror columnist.
- The University of Texas supports capping I-35 in Austin. (KUT)
- A thriving Metro is essential for D.C. to meet its climate goals. (Greater Greater Washington)
- Public Source and Belt Mag look back on the tragic crash that change Pittsburgh’s stance toward bike safety for the better.
- New Orleans’ Blue Krewe is the first bikeshare in the U.S. to unionize. (Truthout)
- Portland Monthly profiles a local mom who organizes bike buses to school.
- Robotaxis are ubiquitous in San Francisco, and Uber and Lyft drivers share the dumbest things they’ve seen them do. (SFist)
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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