Thursday’s Headlines ‘Round About Midnight
Why doesn't the U.S. have more roundabouts? Plus, the growing threat of violence faced by transit workers, and the fallout from Bird's bankruptcy.
By
Blake Aued
12:01 AM EST on December 28, 2023
- Roundabouts are generally safer than signalized intersections, but most parts of the U.S. don’t have many, thanks to overzealous engineers and traffic-light salesmen. (Clean Technica)
- Assaults on transit workers more than doubled between 2008 and 2021, according to federal data. (NBC News)
- The Washington Post‘s Megan McArdle thinks Bird’s bankruptcy may lead to a quasi-monopoly on micromobility for competitor Lime.
- The Federal Highway Administration’s proposed rules on road worker safety are getting mixed reviews from the construction industry. (Construction Equipment Guide)
- Stepped-up traffic enforcement didn’t slow the scourge of traffic deaths in Portland this year, which hit a 30-year high of 65 after drivers killed four people on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. (Willamette Week)
- Cobb County, Georgia officials are considering a November 2024 referendum on a $12 billion transportation plan, half of which would be devoted to a network of bus rapid transit lines. But is the Atlanta suburb dense enough to support it? (AJC)
- An Illinois court ruled that a cyclist who hit a pothole and took a spill can’t sue because he wasn’t the roadway’s “intended” user — motorists are. (Men’s Journal)
- Baltimore light rail users are reluctant to ride after service was suspended for two weeks for emergency safety inspections. (WBAL)
- Houston has updated 5,000 bus stops to meet or exceed the Americans with Disabilities Act’s standards. (Mass Transit)
- Two Illinois lawmakers make the case for digging Chicago transit agencies out of a looming $730 million budget deficit. (Sun-Times)
- Des Moines buses are a lifeline for thousands of workers and students, but service could be cut by 40 percent unless local officials approve a new funding source. (Register)
- New Orleans’ Blue Bikes bikeshare surpassed 300,000 riders this year. (Biz New Orleans)
- Honolulu once had an extensive streetcar system that carried 20 million riders a year until it was replaced by buses and cars. (Civil Beat)
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.
Read More:
More from Streetsblog USA
The California DMV’s Culture of Obstruction
California’s DMV is responsible for managing some of the biggest risks on the state’s roads, but researchers say a culture of secrecy and obstruction makes it nearly impossible for the public to access basic information about dangerous drivers and disabled parking placard fraud.
November 6, 2026
Opinion: I (Almost) Killed a Pedestrian With My Car
Every driver has a story or two about a near-miss traffic crash, even when they were doing everything right. Can we get those numbers down with safer systems?
November 6, 2026
Talking Headways Podcast: The Value of Cities
Cities are valuable precisely because there are so many people in them.
November 5, 2026
What It Will Take To Turn the ‘Blue Wave’ Into a Watershed Moment for Transportation Reform
Democrats won big at the ballot box in the midterms. Will they fight for multimodal travelers when they're in office?
November 5, 2026
