Thursday Is Pickup Day for Headlines

"Direct vision" trucks would save lives of solid waste workers and those in other industries.

12:01 AM EDT on April 10, 2025

Photo courtesy Together for Safer Roads. |

By incorporating Direct Vision standards, this garbage truck looks a lot like a city bus — and could have a similar safety track record.

Truck manufacturers and waste industry groups are pushing for garbage trucks with better visibility. More than a third of collection workers' deaths are transportation-related. (Smart Cities Dive)
President Trump wants to "drill, baby, drill," but ironically, his tariff policies are discouraging more drilling by driving down oil prices. (New York Times)
While Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in Utah that he supports commuter rail, he would not commit to supporting federal funding for Salt Lake City's FrontRunner project. (KSL)
A key Illinois lawmaker has seven conditions for advancing a bill to address Chicago transit agencies' looming $730 million deficit, including a universal fare system, getting rid of homeless people sleeping on trains and ending work-from-home policies. (Politico)
Texas lawmakers are once again trying to block a Houston-to-Dallas high-speed rail line. (Houston Press)
A California bill would let Uber and Lyft drivers collectively bargain, even as they remain classified as independent contractors. (KQED)
Colorado's Regional Transportation District has been tight-lipped about 2024's seven train derailments, but a new state law would force the agency to make investigations public. (Denver Post)
The Las Vegas Regional Transportation Commission is expanding its bikeshare program in conjunction with the Maryland Parkway bus rapid transit project. (Review-Journal)
A Connecticut bill would stop communities from requiring parking that no one uses or wants to build. (Mirror)
Philadelphia will start fining people caught blocking bus lanes by AI cameras on May 7. (WHYY)
A bill in the Washington state legislature would make it easier for cities to create slow streets. (The Urbanist)
It's happening! Greater Greater Washington's photos prove that Maryland's long-awaited Purple Line really is three-quarters complete.