Today’s Headlines
Basics
Friday’s Headlines
Uber is stingy about sharing data, but the company has agreed to allow a select few cities — New York, Seattle, Cincinnati, Nairobi and London — to track vehicle speeds. The data can help those cities make better decisions about infrastructure and traffic regulation. (The Verge) The National Association of City Transportation Officials will work … Continued
May 17, 2019
Thursday’s Headlines
A fifth of U.S. roads are in poor condition, up from 14 percent in 2009, according to a new study by Transportation for America and Taxpayers for Common Sense. But does that mean we need to spend more on infrastructure? Part of the problem is states keep building more lanes instead of maintaining what they … Continued
May 16, 2019
Wednesday’s Headlines
Three signs your city is serious about road safety. (Clean Technica) House Democrats should pass an infrastructure bill to let voters know what they stand for, even if it is DOA in Mitch McConnell’s Senate. (Washington Monthly) Electric bikes are becoming more popular as new models get lighter. (Portland Press Herald) In preparation for D.C. … Continued
May 15, 2019
Tuesday’s Headlines
Bloomberg labels Uber’s initial public offering a “flop,” as the company’s stock price lost 9 percent off its already-low price of $45 per share. Meanwhile, more bad publicity for ride-hailing companies: According to USA Today, the back seats of ride-share cars have 35,000 more germs than a toilet seat, and 219 times more than the … Continued
May 14, 2019
Monday’s Headlines
Cleveland Heights, Ohio, topped Smart Growth America’s list of 10 communities that passed the best Complete Streets policies of 2018, followed by Des Moines, Iowa; Milwaukee; Baltimore; Madison, Conn.; Neptune Beach, Fla.; Fairfield, Conn.; Huntsville, Ala.; Amherst, Mass. and Walpole, Mass. (Smart Cities Dive) Now that they’ve gone public, a MarketWatch analyst expects Uber and … Continued
May 13, 2019
Thursday’s Headlines
Because Uber and Lyft drivers are contractors rather than employees, their strike Wednesday was really more of a boycott (Jalopnik) aimed at hijacking the PR narrative surrounding their initial public stock offerings (The Verge). USA Today says it was kind of a bust, while New York magazine reported that Democratic politicians are starting to take up … Continued
May 9, 2019
Wednesday’s Headlines
Jacobin offers a convincing argument that Uber is a scam: It’s losing billions with no end in sight, susceptible to PR hits, undercharging customers, susceptible to regulations that would increase costs and admits autonomous cars are unlikely to save the day. Plus, most “unicorn” IPOs wind up failing. In other words, the demands of Uber … Continued
May 8, 2019
Tuesday’s Headlines
Uber drivers are planning a strike Wednesday — the day before the company’s initial public stock offering — to protest low wages (CNN). A recently passed law in New York City sets their minimum wage at about $17 an hour, but drivers there want greater job security. Other cities where strikes or protests are planned … Continued
May 7, 2019
Monday’s Headlines
The common 30 percent standard for what people should pay for housing doesn’t account for transportation costs. Owning two cars and commuting might take up another 20 percent of a suburban family’s income. (City Observatory) A new CDC study found that an alarming number of people involved in e-scooter crashes in Austin, Texas, suffered head … Continued
May 6, 2019
Friday’s Headlines
President Trump’s acting chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, is skeptical his boss will reach a deal with Democrats on infrastructure, despite Trump agreeing with Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi to spend $2 trillion (Salon). In fact, as always, nobody really knows what Trump’s going to do (Roll Call). Reminder: “Infrastructure” is not just some magical … Continued
May 3, 2019