Today's Headlines

Monday’s Headlines Get On the Bus

The New York Times has declared bus rapid transit the transportation mode of the future.

By Blake Aued

12:01 AM EST on December 11, 2023

Giving buses priority on downtown Seattle streets has helped transit account for most of the growth in commute travel since 2010. Photo via Streetfilms Streetfilms

Forty of 61 projects currently up for Capital Investment Grants from the Federal Transit Administration are bus rapid transit, the New York Times says in an explainer on BRT, which operates more like light rail than traditional city buses but at a fraction of the cost.
While tailpipe emissions from cars and trucks have fallen dramatically, particle pollution from brakes and tires remains a major, often overlooked health threat. (NRDC)
A lower court should not have thrown out a lawsuit against Uber alleging that its driver termination policies are racially discriminatory, a federal appeals court ruled. (Reuters)
Former Streetsblog editor Angie Schmitt thinks that, while city drivers and non-drivers are often at odds over bike, pedestrian and transit projects, their true mutual enemy is suburban commuters. (Unpopular Opinions)
An urban planner pitches transit-oriented development as a solution to both Nashville’s transportation and housing problems. (Tennessean)
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis supports more funding for transit, but not before the Regional Transportation District that oversees transit is reformed. (Colorado Public Radio)
Cost overruns are jeopardizing plans to put a lid with a park and trails over a Seattle highway. (The Urbanist)
As Chicago transit faces a fiscal cliff, some lawmakers are considering a new regional body to oversee or replace the area’s various transit agencies. (WTTW)
L.A. Metro buses are using AI cameras to catch drivers in bus lanes. (LAist)
Federal planning grants will help Georgia, Tennessee and North Carolina explore routes for high-speed rail lines connecting Atlanta to Savannah, Charlotte, Chattanooga and Nashville. (WSB)
Seattle business owners do not want a First Avenue streetcar due to all the usual concerns about parking and such (Seattle Times), although the area looked pretty bustling with two streetcar lines back in 1919.
When Paris banned e-scooters, residents turned to dockless e-bikes instead. (Electrek)