Wednesday’s Headlines Envy Europe

Could the EU keep U.S. megacars off their streets?

12:01 AM EST on December 5, 2023

The European Commission wants to close a loophole allowing the sale of dangerous, gas-guzzling oversized pickup trucks. Photo: Toyota

European leaders are considering banning the sale of massive American-style pickups, which can currently be imported through a loophole in safety and environmental regulations. (Transport & Environment)
Bay Area Rapid Transit is hoping surveillance cameras will ease the concerns of those who are reluctant to ride because of crime. (Government Technology)
Other cities like Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. are using cameras to enforce parking laws in bus lanes and at bus stops. (Governing)
Los Angeles parents are fighting to make Sunset Boulevard safer for cyclists and pedestrians. (The Guardian)
North Carolina towns that are too small for fixed-route transit are using microtransit and public rideshares to move people around instead. (American Prospect)
The Reagan administration famously killed a Detroit subway in the 1980s, but before that the city tried at failed to build one five other times. (Free Press)
A partnership between LSU and the Louisiana DOT is leading to a surge in rural complete streets projects. (State Smart Transportation Initiatives)
A plan to restore the Rio Grande Depot as a transit hub and free up developable land by burying train tracks in Salt Lake City would cost $3 billion. (Building Salt Lake)
Why does Denver's zoning code still allow auto-centric developments like drive-throughs on corridors that have bus rapid transit? (Denver Urbanism)
Experts told Houston Public Media that induced demand and population growth means that Texas can't pave its way out of congestion, contrary to the state DOT's claims.
Metro Transit has started ticketing Twin Cities riders who don't pay their fares. (CBS News)
A herd of Malaysian elephants did what many humans would like to do, if only they weighed a few more tons: trample a car that hit a baby elephant. The people and the pachyderm all survived. (Jalopnik)