Wednesday’s Headlines Wonder What If?
If New York City doesn't go through with congestion pricing, history is unlikely to look kindly on the decision, according to a NY Times urban policy writer.
By
Blake Aued
12:42 AM EDT on June 19, 2024
- Congestion pricing could have been one of those momentous decisions that changed a city’s trajectory forever. (New York Times)
- London’s experience with congestion pricing show that it would become popular in New York if paired with a massive expansion of public transportation. (Jacobin)
- Are traffic engineers really complicit in road deaths? Planetizen examined the claims made in Wes Marshall’s new book and found that they hold up.
- Governing makes a case for paying for roads and bridges with tolls rather than federal tax revenue.
- Since the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration won’t act, Congress launched an investigation into the recent surge in traffic deaths. (Streetsblog USA)
- Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is seeking to halt a lawsuit over whether Austin can issue bonds to fund light rail, arguing that the AG’s office has the sole legal authority to decide. (American-Statesman)
- NPR does a deep dive into the David-and-Goliath battle between rideshare drivers and Uber and Lyft over a minimum wage in Minnesota.
- Instead of asking voters to let it build a sprawling new city on farmland that’s only accessible by car, Silicon Valley tech billionaires have already assembled enough appropriately zoned land for a smaller version. (San Francisco Chronicle)
- In North Carolina, public health advocates are at the forefront of efforts to make roads safer for cyclists and pedestrians. (NC Health News)
- Aging infrastructure means large swaths of metro Pittsburgh are hard to get around on foot, bike or even by car. (Post-Gazette)
- A California bill would restrict the sale of devices allowing e-bike riders to bypass speed governors. (Electrek)
- A San Diego e-bike charity is facing allegations that it misspent millions of dollars in public money. (Union-Tribune)
- Salt Lake City police issued citations at a recent critical mass ride, but said they were targeting motorcyclists doing donuts and popping wheelies rather than trying to break up the event. (Tribune)
- Washington, D.C.’s traffic cameras have cut speeding by 95 percent. (Post)
- One D.C. resident spent two years biking to all 790 Capitol Bikeshare docks. (Washingtonian)
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
Michigan Bill Would Require Seniors to Regularly Re-Take Their Drivers’ Tests
...but would it really make roads safer?
April 8, 2026
Wednesday’s Headlines Have Good News and Bad News
Traffic deaths are back down to their pre-pandemic levels, but there is still much work left to be done.
April 8, 2026
How To Push A Livable Streets Project Forward — Even in the Era of Federal Clawbacks
A livable streets superstar is launching a new organization to push forward some of America's most iconic sustainable streets projects — even if Congress is clawing back their funding
April 7, 2026
Tuesday’s Headlines Take an Axe to Transit
The Trump administration wants to cut transit and rail funding to help pay for the war against Iran.
April 7, 2026
The Financial Costs of the Pedestrian Death Crisis Are Still Stratospheric
The human costs of the pedestrian death crisis are unacceptable even as deaths begin to fall. And the financial costs aren't any better.
April 6, 2026
Comments Are Temporarily Disabled
Streetsblog is in the process of migrating our commenting system. During this transition, commenting is temporarily unavailable.
Once the migration is complete, you will be able to log back in and will have full access to your comment history. We appreciate your patience and look forward to having you back in the conversation soon.