Wednesday’s Headlines Are Running Out of Time

Our chance to avoid catastrophic climate change continues to slip away without urgent action.

By Blake Aued

12:29 AM EST on January 15, 2025

Photo: Markus Spiske

2024 was the hottest year on record, and also the year when the planet crossed the 1.5 degree Celsius temperature spike that the United Nations agreed 10 years ago would be extremely bad to pass. (Slate)
Law professor and Streetsblog contributor Greg Shill argues that road design alone isn't enough to prevent reckless driving without also enforcing traffic laws. (The Atlantic; paywall)
After a week, congestion pricing in Lower Manhattan has already resulted in less traffic and faster bus rides (New York Times). It's also bringing cleaner air (Clean Technica).
Congestion pricing in Washington, D.C. would make transportation more equitable for low-income individuals. (Greater Greater Washington)
Robotaxis make traffic worse by running empty and displacing biking, walking and transit trips, primarily for the benefit of the rich, according to San Francisco's recently departed transportation director. And cities have very little control over them. (CityLab)
Philadelphia doesn't have enough density around many of its regional rail stations to support commuter rail, according to a Niskanen Center study.
A Washington state bill would create voting seats for transit riders on local transit boards. (The Urbanist)
Uber is suing Colorado over a state law requiring the company to disclose pay information to drivers. (Reuters)
Metro Charlotte officials have a lot of work ahead of them if they want to put a sales tax for transit on the November ballot — mainly, convincing road-loving state legislators to let them. (Axios)
Barcelona's plan to go carbon-neutral by 2030 is working, as pollution levels continue to drop. (Smart Cities World)
Yonah Freemark is out with his annual database of global transit projects, and China is eating everyone's lunch. (The Transport Politic)