Today’s Headlines
Basics
Thursday’s Headlines
Instead of holding meetings at City Hall attended by crowds that skew older, whiter and more affluent, transportation planners who want to engage diverse communities should bring the government to the people. (City Lab) As part of President Trump’s trade war, Congress is considering banning local and state governments from using federal funds to purchase … Continued
August 29, 2019
Wednesday’s Headlines
Phoenix voters have saved the city’s light rail system from a Koch Brothers-funded onslaught. (Streetsblog) Cities have got to start phasing out cars while improving transit and other transportation options. (Treehugger) Leading tech companies like Apple, Google and Microsoft have ignored the pleas to add railroad crossings to online maps, even though hundreds of people … Continued
August 28, 2019
Tuesday’s Headlines
Why do e-bike batteries spontaneously combust? Lots of reasons, including damage, sabotage or cheap construction. (Bicycling) A $1 “safe rides fee” that Uber implemented in 2014 simply padded the company’s bottom line, according to a New York Times excerpt of an upcoming book on the ride-hail giant. Uber will recoup a bit of the $16 … Continued
August 27, 2019
Monday’s Headlines
British Uber drivers are suing the company for data to see if they’re getting paid what they should be (City Lab). In California, drivers are planning a cross-state caravan to protest Uber and Lyft’s labor practices (Tech Crunch). Arguing that they’re a tech company, not a transportation provider (so they’re not regulated by the Americans … Continued
August 26, 2019
Friday’s Headlines
There’s safety in numbers. The flaw in Vision Zero is that it targets deaths alone, discounting close calls, instead of asking why more people don’t ride bikes. (Jalopnik) Having fallen into disuse and disrepair, some of America’s first parking garages are finding new life as mixed-use developments. But parking garages are hard to retrofit, so … Continued
August 23, 2019
Thursday’s Headlines
With Uber and Lyft’s prices spiking as they try to wean themselves off venture capitalists’ subsidies, some former ride-hailers are turning to cheaper bikes and scooters to get around. (TIME) Indianapolis is famous for a car race, and less than 1 percent of workers commute by transit. But next month, its first bus rapid transit … Continued
August 22, 2019
Wednesday’s Headlines
Uber and Lyft are distracting investors from better and cheaper ways to fix transportation. (The Week) The Federal Transit Administration has awarded $85 million in grants for low- and no-emissions buses and $33 million for ferries. (SmartCitiesWorld) Does this have anything to do with the FTA? Probably not! But the world’s largest electric ferry just … Continued
August 21, 2019
Tuesday’s Headlines
Seniors need transportation alternatives more than ever, but they’re intimidated by ride-hailing apps. (New York Times) Lyft is facing another class-action labor lawsuit. (Jalopnik) The Baltimore Sun calls on President Trump to make a stronger push for the Senate’s bipartisan $287-billion highway bill. After outlawing riding e-scooters at night and putting a moratorium on new … Continued
August 20, 2019
Monday’s Headlines
Construction workers are turning against Donald Trump because he’s failed to produce promised infrastructure jobs and introduced proposals that would lower wages. (Politico) A company that UPS invested in has been secretly testing self-driving delivery trucks in Arizona since May. (Gizmodo) A Pittsburgh startup invented a device that gathers highly detailed data about sidewalk conditions … Continued
August 19, 2019
Friday’s Headlines
Lack of investment by the federal government is causing America’s public transportation system to fall into disrepair. (Smart Cities Dive) Driverless cars won’t save Uber and Lyft. (MarketWatch) It seems like common sense, but new research suggests that easier access to transit will lure drivers away from their cars. (Bloomberg) The California beach cruiser helped … Continued
August 16, 2019