Monday’s Headlines Are Roadkill
Possums squished under tires aren't the only victims of car-related violence. Pollution kills wildlife as well, and roads even prevent some species from mating.
By
Blake Aued
12:01 AM EDT on September 11, 2023
- Drivers kill about one million animals a year, but that’s just a quarter of the animals that die due to cars and roads when pollution and habitat restrictions are taken into account. (City Lab)
- In some major American cities, more than a quarter to nearly half of the land is devoted to storing cars. (Strong Towns)
- The Nation reviewed Henry Grabar’s “Paved Paradise: How Parking Explains the World.”
- Even as Uber continues to fight state-level labor laws, its CEO admits that the company doesn’t treat its drivers very well. (Yahoo! Finance)
- GM and Federal Express partnered to develop a zero-emissions delivery truck. (Fast Company)
- Tire wear is a major contributor to water pollution, according to an Australian study. (New Atlas)
- Why is this California city worried about e-bikes when cars kill so many more people? (L.A. Times)
- More cars are not the key to revitalizing downtown D.C. (Greater Greater Washington)
- Washington state’s most recent carbon auction, intended to make pollution costly for companies, brought in $1.5 billion. The money will go toward projects that reduce emissions, though nothing specific has been identified. (Governing)
- A court blocked Minneapolis’ 2040 comprehensive plan that would have put an end to single-family zoning. (Star Tribune)
- San Diego’s proposed complete streets policy has too many loopholes. (KPBS)
- Lowering the speed limit to 20 miles per hour didn’t stop drivers from speeding near Arlington schools, so the city is installing speed humps. (ARLnow)
- Anchorage has its first protected bike lane. (Daily News)
- A multi-million-dollar San Jose parking lot for people who live in their vehicles sits mostly empty. (Spotlight)
- Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow has not yet followed through on promises to improve transit service. (BlogTO)
- China is flooding the world with cheap gas-powered cars. (New York Times)
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
What If All Cars Were Autonomous, Electric, and Free?
Can we really solve the problems of car dominance just by making cars less destructive?
April 14, 2026
Tuesday’s Headlines Try, Try Again
Maybe another climate conference can succeed on phasing out fossil fuels where COP30 failed.
April 14, 2026
Push Grows To Move Parking Enforcement From NYPD To DOT
Two community boards want the job to go to the agency already in charge of the streets.
April 13, 2026
Can This Tool Predict Where Your City’s Next Car Crash Will Happen?
But will U.S. transportation leaders use it to take preemptive action to make roadways safer?
April 13, 2026
Monday’s Headlines Show the True Cost of Climate Change
Making cars slightly cheaper in the short run in exchange for accelerating climate change is not a good tradeoff.
April 13, 2026