Wednesday’s Headlines Go Carless
A Washington state advocacy group for the disabled is challenging everyone to give up driving for the week of Oct. 2 to find out how hard it is to get around in most parts of the U.S.
By
Blake Aued
12:01 AM EDT on September 20, 2023
- It’s a testament to America’s car-centric infrastructure that asking people to hang up their car keys for a week sounds like asking a lot, but that’s exactly what one disability rights group wants people to do so they can see how hard it is to get around without being able to drive. (City Lab)
- Two MIT researchers regret their research predicting — wrongly, it turned out — that Uber and Lyft would reduce congestion, and they don’t want anyone to make the same mistake with driverless cars. (San Francisco Chronicle)
- Lessons learned from cities’ efforts to allocate increasingly scarce curb space. (Smart Cities Dive)
- A judge striking down the Minneapolis 2040 plan has led to fears that all over the country environmental laws can be weaponized against land-use reform. (Streetsblog USA)
- Charlotte and surrounding cities and counties are considering forming a regional transit authority. (WFAE)
- Contrary to previous reports, suburban Gwinnett County is putting a transit tax on the ballot but is not considering joining the Metro Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority system. (AP)
- The Colorado DOT is ditching the 85th percentile rule that encourages fast driving, and is re-evaluating speed limits on many roads. (Colorado Public Radio)
- Cincinnati is extending a ban on new downtown surface parking lots. (City Beat)
- Sacramento is prioritizing people and housing over cars. (Comstock’s Magazine)
- Detroit bikeshare MoGo says its e-bikes are ridden three times as much as pedal-only bikes. (Axios)
- Portland’s transportation director wants to remove a protected bike lane from Broadway downtown that’s in a high-crash corridor and took 14 years to build. (Bike Portland)
- Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante is defying angry motorists by closing a busy highway to cars and turning it over to cyclists and pedestrians. (New York Times)
- Several German cities are offering people free passes for public transit — if they give up their driver’s license. (Euronews)
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’s Headlines Go North, Young Man
If you want to walk and bike safely, stay out of the South.
August 7, 2026
Talking Headways Podcast: What Does It Cost to Build a Bus?
Lisa Jerram of APTA and Philip Plotch of the Eno Center for Transportation explain the state of bus manufacturing and why buses cost so much.
August 6, 2026
Report: Building More Homes Reduces Overall Driving
Building more homes will get cars off the road, but where they’re built matters.
August 6, 2026
Thursday’s Headlines Cut Away
A U.S. Senate bill would result in the loss of $950 million in transit infrastructure funding.
August 6, 2026
State Lawmakers Aim At Illegal E-Motos, But Hit E-Bikes Instead
A deceptive and widespread marketing tactic has tricked families into purchasing dangerous e-motos and fooled lawmakers into pushing laws that would make streets even less safe.
August 5, 2026
