Friday’s Headlines Want the Freedom of Options

It's true that Americans love their cars, but it's also true that they don't want to have to drive everyplace, The Guardian reports.

By Blake Aued

12:01 AM EST on January 3, 2025

Choose your fighter.

|Andy Lee

New research shows that, while Americans like owning a car and having the option of driving, being forced to drive everywhere makes us unhappy. (The Guardian)
Driving is usually not the fastest way to get through cities, according to a Wall Street Journal project that pitted drivers against cyclists, Uber riders and transit users. Jalopnik has a summary for non-subscribers.
Authorities have confirmed that the Tesla Cybertruck explosion outside of the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas was intentional, not a battery malfunction. (CNN)
A poll of electric vehicle owners found that 92 percent would buy another EV, and just 1 percent would go back to a gas-powered car. (Environment America)
Overall traffic deaths were down in New York City in 2024, but it's becoming increasingly hostile to pedestrians. (NY Times)
Drivers killed 41 people in San Francisco last year, including 24 pedestrians, making it the deadliest year in the past two decades. (CBS News)
Kansas City has a Vision Zero goal of 2030, but drivers killed 95 people there in 2024, so it has a long way to go. (KCUR)
Forty-three people died on Omaha roads, up 12 from 2023, when the city committed to Vision Zero. (3 News Now)
Even without a controversial gondola project, Dodgers fans can still take transit and walk or bike to the stadium. (Urbanize LA)
Top Maryland stories like the Red Line and the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge will linger into 2025. (Maryland Matters)
Safe streets stories were popular among Urban Milwaukee readers last year.
Pittsburgh light rail service will be disrupted by construction in 2025. (Union Progress)
The Urbanist predicts that 2025 will be the year Seattle's Eastside breaks free from car dependence.
Hey drivers: Try slowing down and going over the speed hump instead of veering into a bike lane to avoid it. (The Stranger)