Tuesday’s Headlines Compete for Curbs

Curbs are useful for a lot of things, and competition for space is growing. But the default in many cities is still free parking.

By Blake Aued

12:01 AM EDT on October 31, 2023

Despite all the competition for curb space these days — from deliveries to outdoor dining to charging stations — cities mostly still use it for free parking. (CNN)
California's quick reversal on driverless cars shows that government regulators still aren't quite sure what to do with them. (Washington Post)
The average American drives 10,000 miles a year, and at that rate the costs to society far outweigh the benefits. Driving should be infrequent in urban and low-income areas, and practically nonexistent in city centers, according to a Planetizen analysis.
E-scooters don't really belong on sidewalks, but sometimes riders have no choice. (Forbes)
Angie Schmitt wonders why police departments waste Pedestrian Safety Month by shaming victims instead of doing something helpful. (Streetsblog USA)
The D.C. Metro has improved service and streamlined fares over the past year and a half, but all that progress could be lost as the agency faces a fiscal cliff. (Transit Center)
A Jewish cyclist and her child were harassed by an antisemitic driver in Washington, D.C. who blocked a bike lane with his SUV and called them "the devil." (New York Post)
A Mississippi woman searching for her missing son finally discovered that police had run him over and buried him in a pauper's grave six months earlier. (NBC News)
BART officials are considering consolidating with some of the Bay Area's many other transit agencies. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Sactown Mag interviews Susan Handy, a University of California at Davis professor, director of the National Center for Sustainable Transportation and author of "Shifting Gears: Toward a New Way of Thinking About Transportation."
It looked like Los Angeles was going to tear down the Marina Freeway and replace it with housing, but true to form, the city wound up caving to NIMBYs. (L.A. Times)
Has bus rapid transit made Charlotte's Red Line obsolete? The proposed light rail line would actually be slower than BRT. (WFAE)
Portland's "BRT lite" is working, and could be a model for a lot of other places where dedicated lanes aren't an option. (Human Transit)
San Antonio will break ground on the Green Line BRT next year. (Report)
Denver is considering making transit permanently fare-free for riders 19 and under. (The Center Square)
Today is the last day for Seattle residents to urge the city to improve its transportation plan. (The Urbanist)
Sydney may let buses take control of traffic lights. (The Guardian)