Do Wednesday’s Headlines Yield, Sir Knight?

The feds are taking Norfolk Southern to court over freight trains failing to yield to Amtrak. Plus, more bad news about Americans' driving habits and the climate.

By Blake Aued

12:01 AM EDT on July 31, 2024

Amtrak is likely to be on the chopping block when Donald Trump moves back into the White House.

|Amtrak

The U.S. Justice Department filed a complaint in federal court accusing freight hauler Norfolk Southern of failing to yield for Amtrak trains as required by law. (New York Times)
Seniors who shouldn't be driving are often reluctant to give up their keys because they know that, in this car-centric country, they're essentially cutting themselves off from society. (Jalopnik)
Even the U.S. DOT admits that Americans need to start driving less if the U.S. is going to meet its climate goals, because even with a clean energy grid, electric vehicles alone won't cut it. (Streetsblog USA)
California Democrats and unions vowed to continue fighting for Uber and Lyft drivers' labor rights after a recent state Supreme Court ruling. (Sacramento Bee)
Preliminary data from Texas shows that using AI to correctly time traffic lights can lead to a 29 percent reduction in crashes caused by driver distraction. (Route Fifty)
Nashville's transit plan would be funded by sales taxes, which are regressive and hit the poor hardest, but there are ways the city can mitigate the impact, like exempting groceries or free bus passes for low-income riders. (WPLN)
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette editorial board called for Pennsylvania lawmakers to provide a dedicated funding stream for transit agencies.
A future park over the Downtown Connector in Midtown Atlanta is dead for now after its main benefactor, Chick-Fil-A Chairman Dan Cathy, pulled the plug. But similar plans to cap freeways downtown and in Atlanta's northern suburbs are still moving along. (Saporta Report)
Dallas officials are pushing for lower speed limits in residential neighborhoods. (Express)
The bike/ped group formerly known as Our Streets Minneapolis expanding its mission beyond the Minnesota city. (MinnPost)
This video of an e-bike "racing" a dump truck in Los Angeles shows that e-bikes can keep up with traffic, but also how harrowing it can be to ride a two-wheeled vehicle in a car-centric city. (Clean Technica)