Friday’s Headlines Take a Free Ride
Waymo has remote response teams, but when a robotaxi gets stuck, emergency responders have to get behind the wheel.
By
Blake Aued
12:01 AM EDT on March 27, 2026
- Waymo often relies on first responders as backup drivers, relying on taxpayer-funded police and firefighters to move malfunctioning robotaxis out of the way. (Tech Crunch)
- The political left has largely abandoned the Green New Deal in favor of opposing Israel and AI data centers. (Semafor)
- Momentum Mag busts common anti-bike myths like “nobody uses bike lanes.”
- Extending Charlotte’s Silver Line to Matthews as originally planned would likely take a new sales tax on top of the one voters recently approved. (WUNC)
- Austin officials are slowing down on building parks over sunken stretches of I-35 because they’re not sure how much it will cost. (KUT)
- The CEO of Dallas Area Rapid Transit is stepping down. (D Magazine)
- Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker put forward four bills encouraging transit-oriented development. (Citizen)
- New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill ordered the state’s transit agency to produce a report on fixing rider complaints like dim station lighting and dirty buses. (NJ.com)
- Georgia’s roads are some of the most dangerous in the country for pedestrians, and law enforcement often blames the victim even when there’s no crosswalk or sidewalks to use. (Sun)
- Hawaii is owed $15 million from more than 200,000 unpaid parking tickets. (News Now)
- The Maryland DOT is filling in sidewalk gaps along Reisterstown Road in Baltimore. (WMAR)
- A bike and pedestrian path on the new Gordie Howe Bridge between Detroit and Canada will be toll-free. (Bridge Michigan)
- Sound Transit’s Crosslake Connection over Lake Washington opens on Saturday (KING 5), and it could turn Seattle into the next Copenhagen (KOUW).
- Estonia is unifying all forms of transit under one ticketing platform. (Cities Today)
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.
Read More:
More from Streetsblog USA
The Races Transportation Reformers Are Watching This Midterms
What will the midterms mean for US mobility? Here are a few key races advocates are watching.
November 3, 2026
Tuesday’s Headlines Vote Early and Vote Often
From the federal level to local referendums, this will be a pivotal election for transit and safety.
November 3, 2026
Would Ending Seasonal Clock Changes Make Streets Safer for People Outside Cars?
Saturday night Halloween celebrations and a seasonal time change converged this year to create what some fear were uniquely dangerous conditions on US roads. But would ditching the clock change really have saved pedestrian and cyclist lives?
November 2, 2026
Opinion: Robotaxis Need Clear Rules — Even in ‘Exceptional’ Situations
Maybe a robotaxi is safer than a human driver on an "average" road under "normal" conditions — but what will it do when things get unruly?
November 2, 2026
Monday’s Headlines Live Happily Ever After
What's transit got to do with marriage and birth rates?
November 2, 2026
