Thursday’s Headlines Plunge Ahead

Cities shouldn't be afraid of restricting cars. If they do, most people will not only get over it, they'll embrace it.

By Blake Aued

12:01 AM EST on January 25, 2024

A car-free street in Tokyo.

|Creative Commons.

If U.S. officials can ever get over their fear of backlash from drivers, psychology and experience from European cities shows that restricting cars in cities will eventually become popular (BBC). London is an example, where the city is tearing up financial district roadways to turn them into bike lanes and pedestrian spaces (City Lab).
Poor public transit is a barrier to health care, according to a new CDC report. (Johns Hopkins)
Greater Greater Washington picks apart the New York Times' argument that distracted drivers are to blame for the rise in pedestrian deaths, rather than road design.
The American trend toward bigger, heavier and deadlier SUVs is spreading to Europe. (The Guardian)
The latest "driverless" cars actually do have drivers. They're just piloting the vehicles remotely like a drone or a video game. (New Atlas)
All it took was a few Jersey barriers to drop drivers' speeds by six miles per hour on one Indianapolis street. (WFYI)
Now that it's three-quarters finished, Minneapolis officials don't expect any more surprise cost increases for the Southwest light rail line. (MinnPost)
Detroit is boosting frequency on one of its most popular east-west bus lines. (Freep)
Double-tracking to boost passenger rail capacity along Lake Michigan's south shore is almost complete. (Northwest Indiana Business Magazine)
Valley Metro's new light rail line opens Saturday. (Fox 10 Phoenix)
There's still hope for rail service connecting New Orleans and Baton Rouge. (Engineering News-Record)
A rat — or was it a squirrel? — went splat on a Chicago sidewalk's wet concrete, and now it's a tourist attraction. (NPR)