Tuesday’s Headlines Are Back to Laboring

Hope you enjoyed your long weekend! U.S. high-speed rail is having a moment, Henry Grabar on the spreading anti-parking movement and more in today's headlines.

By Blake Aued

12:01 AM EDT on September 5, 2023

Say goodbye to California high-speed rail if Republicans win in November. Photo via CAHSRA

Is high-speed rail finally starting to spread outside the Acela corridor? As Brightline opens an extension of its South Florida commuter rail line to Orlando, the company is eyeing a Las Vegas line to California, a Texas high-speed rail line is looking to get back on track, and Amtrak is preparing for its largest expansion in 50 years. (Washington Post)
States that charge electric vehicle owners hefty fees are discouraging people from ditching gas-powered cars. (Frontier Group)
Chargers for e-bikes and scooters are missing from the U.S. EV strategy. (Streetsblog USA)
First we take Manhattan: Starting with New York, cities are discovering that there are better things to do with vast swaths of public right-of-way than move and store cars, writes Henry Grabar. (NY Times)
The Times also reports that Paris has banned shared e-scooters over pedestrian safety concerns, although the devices were a lifeline for late-night workers and an alternative to the crowded metro and confusing bike-share system.
Neither Los Angeles nor San Francisco is anywhere close to achieving its Vision Zero goals, probably because it seems like someone has to die before improvements to a street or intersection are made. (L.A. Times)
Chicago bike advocates want more protected lanes and lower speed limits. (Sun-Times)
Plans are nearly complete for Indianapolis' Blue Line bus rapid transit project. (WFYI)
Uber and Lyft used bullying and threats to defeat minimum wage legislation in Minneapolis, writes on MinnPost columnist.
A 100,000-strong conservative group in Portland is turning its attention to transportation, opposing a median on Southeast Division that they say makes it harder for drivers to turn. (Bike Portland)
West Seattle NIMBYs are still opposed to light rail. (West Seattle Blog)
What was once one of the largest streetcar systems in the U.S. is now buried underneath Denver's streets. (KDVR)
"It's so frustrating we can't do this in the U.S.," said one Twitter user who posted a viral clip of bike infrastructure in "the Netherlands." Turns out we can: The clip was from the famously bike-friendly town of Cambridge near Boston. (Globe)
"Silent walking" is the latest TikTok trend. (Today)

Blake Aued

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