Tuesday’s Headlines, Post-Christmas Edition
Even though Bird filed for bankruptcy and the industry isn't very profitable, more and more people are riding shared e-bikes and scooters. Could municipal services be the answer?
By
Blake Aued
12:01 AM EST on December 26, 2023
- Bird may be going bankrupt, but micromobility trips are still on the rise, making the service increasingly indispensable to cities, paving the way for subsidized or city-owned bike- and scooter-shares. (The Verge)
- Cumbersome city permitting threatens a Biden administration program to add millions of new electric vehicle chargers nationwide. (Route Fifty)
- Government Technology has a searchable database on which cities are running electric buses.
- Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued the U.S. DOT seeking to overturn a federal requirement that states produce plans to reduce carbon emissions. (Washington Post)
- The northwest Phoenix light rail extension is set to open in January, two years ahead of schedule. (KTAR)
- Maryland transit officials are exploring options for a new light rail line connecting Baltimore and Towson. (CBS News)
- Baltimore light rail resumed service on Saturday after a two-week suspension for safety inspections. (Sun)
- Dallas Area Rapid Transit is one of the few agencies to put a dent in its staffing shortage by raising salaries and streamlining hiring. (Transit Center)
- Fast-growing Utah is in a good position to take advantage of state and federal funding to create more walking, biking and transit options. (Salt Lake Tribune)
- Lancaster, California, revitalized its downtown, creating 800 jobs and a $273 million economic impact, by turning its main street from a stroad into a tree-lined boulevard. (SFGate)
- Data suggests that merchants on San Francisco’s Valencia Street are wrong when they claim a new bike lane is responsible for a dip in business. (Mission Local)
- The Basque city of Vitoria-Gasteiz was decades ahead of its time, even for Europe, in discouraging driving in favor of walking and biking. (The Guardian)
- About 12 percent of Oulu, Finland’s winter trips are by bike, even though the city is blanketed with snow five months a year. (BBC)
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.
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