Tuesday’s Headlines Win the Gold
Two articles detail efforts in Paris and Los Angeles to put on (relatively) climate-friendly Olympic games in 2024 and 2028.
By
Blake Aued
12:01 AM EDT on March 19, 2024
- Organizers of the 204 Paris Olympics have pledged to cut greenhouse gas emissions in half compared to previous games, by adding bike lanes, building as few new structures as possible and even floating solar panels on the Seine rather than use diesel generators. But of course, millions of spectators will still be flying in. (New York Times).
- Meanwhile, Los Angeles is watching Paris as it prepares to host the 2028 Summer Olympics. L.A. has already scaled back some if its games-related climate goals, but still plans to build 15 new transit projects and borrow 2,500 buses because the sprawling city won’t offer parking near venues. (Politico)
- With a record $243 million capital budget, San Diego’s Metropolitan Transit System will buy 38 new buses, 22 trolley cars and overhead charging infrastructure to convert to an all-electric fleet. (Union-Tribune)
- The lower level of Cleveland’s Detroit-Superior Bridge, once used by streetcars, could reopen as a bike and pedestrian path. (Axios)
- The bike path along the Bay Area’s Richmond-San Rafael Bridge could be turned into a car breakdown lane on weekdays, supposedly to ease congestion, even though car trip times have actually fallen since the path opened. (San Francisco Chronicle)
- New Houston Mayor John Whitmire is considering removing bike lanes that were just put in two years ago. (ABC 13)
- Las Vegas received a $14 million federal grant for an AI pedestrian detection system pilot on Fremont Street. (Government Technology)
- Streets.mn has a three-part series on the Minneapolis Blue Line, with the second part focusing on land use around the project.
- Walkable neighborhoods will bring down Utah’s rising housing costs, not more suburban sprawl, a bike advocate writes for the Salt Lake Tribune.
- A new fare structure in Madison, Wisconsin will limit how much low-income riders pay to ride transit. (The Badger Herald)
- The Veo bikeshare in Syracuse has grown from 150 bikes to 1,000 in just three years. (CNY Central)
- A public art installation in Detroit will measure and help mitigate pollution from a nearby auto assembly plant. (Metro Times)
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:
Streetsblog has migrated to a new comment system. New commenters can register directly in the comments section of any article. Returning commenters: your previous comments and display name have been preserved, but you'll need to reclaim your account by clicking "Forgot your password?" on the sign-in form, entering your email, and following the verification link to set a new password — this is required because passwords could not be carried over during the migration. For questions, contact tips@streetsblog.org.
More from Streetsblog USA
Friday Video: Take Transit to the World Cup … If You Can Afford It
Why are some cities forced to charge high fares to World Cup visitors who want to take the train, while others are giving away rides nearly for free?
May 1, 2026
Good Public Transit + Good Public Funding = Good Public Health
Transit agencies need to do more to remind policy makers of the connection between good public transportation and good public health, a report argues.
May 1, 2026
Friday’s Headlines Walk Warily
Don't be fooled by declining statistics. Walking in the U.S. is still too dangerous.
May 1, 2026
Boston’s New Climate Plan Is At Odds With Boston’s New Transportation Policies
Mayor Wu's climate plan calls on the city to cut traffic and "transform" its transportation system, but City Hall leadership is cancelling and delaying projects that would actually accomplish those goals.
April 30, 2026
Talking Headways Podcast: The Logistics of Package Delivery
Benjamin Fong on out how e-commerce companies like Amazon have built their logistics systems and the difficulty of last-mile delivery.
April 30, 2026
