Tuesday’s Headlines Came Down With Congestion

People are driving more in 90 out of the 100 largest metro areas in the U.S., according to a new report. Is it time to borrow strategies from Europe to cut those miles? Learn more in headlines.

By Blake Aued

12:54 AM EDT on September 17, 2024

Car bloat is partially responsible for worsening traffic congestion.

|Photo: Michael, CC

Vehicle miles driven nationwide have jumped 12 percent since the pandemic lockdowns temporarily cleared out streets. Traffic congestion now exceeds pre-COVID levels, and even more concerning, it's rising faster than when shelter-at-home orders ended in 2021. (City Lab, StreetsblogUSA)
U.S. cities that want to fight the trend can look to Europe, where cities are taking steps like limiting where people can drive and investing in bike infrastructure. (Time)
Complete Streets do make a difference — if supporters can overcome entrenched interests and budgetary constraints to implement them. (Transportation for America)
Mail carriers are big fans of the Postal Service's new trucks, although they still get horrible gas mileage, and not enough of them are electric. (Jalopnik)
Curbed interviewed Robert Caro, author of the definitive Robert Moses biography "The Power Broker."
A U.S. Department of Energy study found that investing in transit in Chicago would return the investment 13 times over. (Mass Transit)
Uber and Waymo are bringing robotaxis to Austin and Atlanta next. (Clean Technica)
Plans for a north-south bus rapid transit line in Milwaukee could stay on the shelf for another decade or more. (Urban Milwaukee)
A WHYY podcast discusses reclaiming Philadelphia's public streets for pedestrians.
New Orleans transit is almost completely back to normal operations after Hurricane Francine. (WGNO)
An Indianapolis police officer driving a patrol car hit a pedestrian, who was hospitalized in critical condition. (Star)
If James Bond had an e-bike trailer, this would be it. (MSN)