Wednesday’s Headlines Are Through With Drive-Throughs
And what if government regulators took car crashes as seriously as they took plane crashes? Plus other news.
By
Blake Aued
12:01 AM EDT on September 6, 2023
- Some cities are considering banning new drive-through restaurants to prioritize air quality and safety over driver convenience. (Planetizen)
- What if government regulators took car crashes as seriously as they took plane crashes? (WFAE)
- Tech billionaires’ secret plan to build a brand-new city near San Francisco has been exposed. (City Lab)
- BART ridership remains around 40 percent of pre-pandemic levels, but Bay Area officials hope to recoup more of the loss during “transit month” in September. (CBS News)
- Mayors across the political spectrum are uniting to blow up Texas Republicans’ “Death Star” legislation aimed at pre-empting home rule in liberal bastions like pro-transit Austin. (Texas Monthly)
- The Twin Cities’ now-banished minimum parking regulations ranged from the arbitrary to the absurd. (Minnesota Reformer)
- The Utah Transit Authority saw an increase in ridership when it offered students free passes, and it’s now extending the program to parents and guardians. (Salt Lake Tribune)
- Colorado’s fare-free summer improved transit ridership dramatically. (Colorado Springs Gazette)
- Denver will start collecting fees from property owners for sidewalk repairs next year. (Denverite)
- A Boston Globe editor calls for Massachusetts to emulate Washington, D.C. and use cameras to enforce bus lane violations.
- Even the Dutch spend billions on fossil fuel subsidies. (ABC News)
- Light rail in Lagos promises to cut a commute in the traffic-choked Nigerian capital from two hours to 15 minutes. (Reuters)
- In true Berlin fashion, protesters held a rave to block a highway project that would require the demolition of around 20 clubs and venues. (BBC)
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.
Read More:
Streetsblog has migrated to a new comment system. New commenters can register directly in the comments section of any article. Returning commenters: your previous comments and display name have been preserved, but you'll need to reclaim your account by clicking "Forgot your password?" on the sign-in form, entering your email, and following the verification link to set a new password — this is required because passwords could not be carried over during the migration. For questions, contact tips@streetsblog.org.
More from Streetsblog USA
Friday Video: Inside the Global Far-Right Push To Rip Out Bike Lanes
Toronto might be in the center of the fight to resist bike lane teardown today. But if some far-right politicians have their way, this fight won't be the last.
October 23, 2026
Friday’s Headlines Shoot Themselves in the Foot
Gas taxes pay for transit, too, so what happens when politicians pander to voters, and the highway trust fund runs dry?
October 23, 2026
Talking Headways Podcast: A More Humanized Experience in Honolulu
If we look transit just as a distance issue, but as a time issue, performance should be discussed as one big whole.
October 22, 2026
Our Best Bet To Confront Climate Change in the Trump Era? Build More Apartments
Most climate strategies are hamstrung by Washington and culture wars across the country. But zoning reform may be the exception.
October 22, 2026
What ‘Flying Cars’ Could Mean For US Car Culture
Would fleets of flying cars be a dystopian nightmare, or a chance to create more walkable cities on the ground?
October 22, 2026