Friday’s Headlines Reinvent a Worse Wheel
Because they spend so much time driving without passengers, Uber's Routeshare shuttles won't be much better for traffic or air quality than private cars.
By
Blake Aued
12:01 AM EDT on June 6, 2025
- Yes, Uber’s new Routeshare service resembles buses, but it’s a version of buses that causes more congestion and creates more pollution. (Grist)
- The Federal Highway Administration has removed climate change and DEI from its criteria for bridge grants. (The Trucker)
- Salt strewn on Northern roads to keep them from freezing is causing mass die-offs in rivers. (Washington Post)
- Andrew Miller doesn’t think robotaxis will replace private car ownership. (Changing Lanes)
- Trump says he’s pulling $4 billion in funding for California high-speed rail. (Los Angeles Times)
- In Bakersfield, a grand jury took the highly unusual step of investigating the city’s bike lane installations and accusing it of being “biased toward bicycles.” (CalBike)
- Memphis city council members are proposing to slash the city transit agency’s $30 million in half. (MLK50)
- Progressive Democrats in Oregon want to tax gas and cars to expand transit, make school routes safer and subsidize electric vehicles, buses and bikes. (Capital Chronicle)
- The Trump administration is threatening to withhold Michigan’s transportation funding unless it changes its immigration and diversity policies. (MLive)
- Almost 80 percent of Miami residents support expanding the Metromover. (Herald)
- Boston mayoral candidate Josh Kraft’s first TV ad attacks incumbent Michelle Wu’s support for bike lanes. (CBS News)
- A Massachusetts bill would allow cities to install automated cameras to catch speeders and red-light runners. (WGBH)
- Austin is now fining drivers for blocking bike lanes and EV chargers. (KXAN)
- Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson wants to tax the “ultra-rich” to avert massive transit cuts. (Sun-Times)
- Philadelphia will eliminate a car lane on 47th street to make room for bikes. (Voice)
- A Virginia man was charged with vandalism for drawing a crosswalk at a dangerous intersection. (The Guardian)
- An Indianapolis nonprofit is training stakeholders on traffic safety. (Capital Chronicle)
- CNU Public Square highlights the revitalization of Providence’s Westminster Street.
- African cities are building cycle tracks and starting bikeshares. (UNEP)
- The UK’s Labour government announced a plan to spend more than $15 billion on transit projects. (BBC)
Blake Aued has been doing Streetsblog's daily national news digest for years. He's also an Atlanta Braves fan, which enrages his editor in New York.
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