Wednesday’s Headlines Wait With Bated Breath

Editor’s note: these headlines were published before the results of the 2024 election were announced.

• No matter who wins the presidency, Strong Towns has a to-do list. On it: stop widening highways, focus on street safety and build more housing.
• Housing costs are sky-high, but that’s just part of the story — transportation is a huge cost for many households as well. Swapping a car for an e-bike or moving to a denser neighborhood can save thousands of dollars a year. (CNU Public Square)
• Lowering speed limits alone only leads to a 1-2 miles per hour reduction in speeds, according to a University of Minnesota study. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)
• A quarter of Gen Z doesn’t drive, and most are skeptical of self-driving cars. (MediaPost)
• Cars created boring cookie-cutter cities. (Psychology Today)
• Depending on who wins an election that, as of now, is still too close to call, Tesla and Elon Musk could be in real trouble. (Jalopnik)
• Funding for New Jersey commuter rail could also hinge on the outcome of the presidential election. (Bloomberg)
• The Baker Institute posted an interactive map and database of highway displacement in Houston.
• Why do transit opponents who live outside of Nashville care whether Nashville expands transit? (Scene)
• Pro-car Houston Mayor John Whitmire pushed through a rushed Montrose redesign that sacrifices pedestrian safety. (Chron)
• Austin business leaders are pushing to extend a future light rail line to the airport. (KXAN)
• Chicago has started using automated cameras to enforce laws against drivers blocking bike and bus lanes. (WGN)
• Michigan is using thermal cameras to help buses avoid crashes with people and animals in the dark. (Government Technology)
• Paris has banned cars from a portion of the city center that includes the Louvre. (Le Monde)
• Most Stockholm residents opposed congestion pricing, but now it’s wildly popular. (CBC)
• Istanbul is letting unemployed residents ride transit for free, removing a barrier to finding a job. (CityLab)
• Cities around the world are getting pretty creative with their cycling infrastructure. (Momentum)