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Wednesday’s Headlines Say Smaller is Better

Driving is not ideal, but if you need a car or truck, it would be nice to have a reasonably sized and affordable option.

  • The Jeff Bezos-funded startup Slate Auto says it will offer an antidote to bloated, expensive electric SUVs and pickup trucks that increasingly endanger cyclists and pedestrians, and threaten to bankrupt their owners — a small, relatively light, highly customizable EV that sells for a base price of less than $20,000. (TechCrunch)
  • Cities can do more to include people with disabilities. (Greater Good)
  • Going beyond parking minimums, Seattle transit agencies could actively be turning park-and-ride lots into more housing. (PubliCola)
  • Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell is introducing legislation to cut permit review times for light rail projects. (Westside Seattle)
  • Pittsburgh Regional Transit is rallying riders to tell the Pennsylvania legislature to provide funding to avoid service cuts. (Union Progress)
  • Denver's Regional Transportation District has seen a steep decline in police calls at Union Station. (Metro Magazine)
  • An Oregon bill would provide minimum pay and benefits for Uber and Lyft drivers, and protect them from unfair account deactivations. (Capital Chronicle)
  • Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin wants the state of Alabama to let him use gas tax revenue to provide better transit. (WBRC)
  • The auto-centric Detroit suburb of Sterling Heights passed a Vision Zero plan. (Detroit News)
  • Cleveland business owners are resisting replacing Market District parking spaces with bus lanes, showing that even people who went to school for urban planning can get car brain. (Scene)
  • Are drivers targeting bike advocates? In Chicago, a cyclist was beaten with a crowbar after calling out a driver blocking a bike lane (Streetsblog Chicago). And in England, one cyclist has stopped documenting his close calls with drivers because of threats from online trolls (The Guardian).
  • Transport for London is investing more than $100 million over the next year in bike lanes and pedestrian crossings. (Traffic Technology Today)
  • On the strength of a March referendum, pro-bike Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo plans to close an additional 500 streets to cars. (Domus)
  • E-bikes now account for more than half the bike sales in Austria. (Bicycle Retailer)

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