Wednesday’s Supersized Headlines

How did we wind up with so many highways on steroids? DOTs are fudging their traffic projection numbers, according to Dissent.

By Blake Aued

12:03 AM EDT on October 16, 2024

Louisville’s I-65 bridge is a great example of how charging drivers keeps cars off the road. Photo: Trimarc

Traffic projections decades into the future are exaggerated at best and falsified at worst, resulting in bridges and highways that are built wider than they need to be. (Dissent)
People who value transit should use it regularly, even if it's a less convenient than driving, because of all the benefits and the importance of voting with your feet, writes Reece Martin.
WPLN has a guide to the Nashville transit referendum, and Atlanta Civic Circle explains a similar November in Cobb County that would fund 108 miles of bus rapid transit. And a Colorado ballot measure would allow the Regional Transportation District to keep more sales tax revenue. (Sun)
California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed nine bike-friendly bills last month, but vetoed two aimed at curbing speeding. (Smart Cities Dive)
The L.A. Metro hit an average of 1 million riders on weekdays for the first time since the pandemic, and is back up to 86 percent of its pre-COVID ridership. (Metro)
Seattle officials are debating how ambitious an update to Puget Sound's transportation plan should be. (The Urbanist)
Kansas City microtransit drivers want to unionize in the face of high fees and strict oversight by the private company that's contracted to run the program. (Mass Transit)
Philadelphia cyclists can take advantage of 20 miles of car-free streets in City Center on Saturday. (NBC 10)
A top UK infrastructure official says the nation must prepare for per-mile road pricing to replace the loss of billions in tax revenue during the transition to electric vehicles. (The Guardian)
The Ontario government — led by anti-bike former Toronto council member Doug Ford — will introduce legislation requiring provincial approval for bike lanes, and it doesn't sound like many would be approved. (CBC)