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

Sonia Medina, CC|

Even though the industry isn’t very profitable, more and more people are riding shared e-bikes and scooters. Could municipal services be the answer?

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)