Recent Streetsblog USA posts about Today’s Headlines

Low-clearance rapid transit could be faster than trolleys and cheaper than subways. Trams run at street level except at major intersections, where they briefly dip underground. Meanwhile, minor cross streets are blocked off to cars, with those intersections only open to pedestrians. This lets trams avoid stopping at traffic lights without all that slow, expensive […]

The national epidemic of pedestrian deaths — up 50 percent in the past 10 years to over 6,000 last year — is one of the few issues drawing bipartisan concern in Washington, D.C. A Senate bill would boost funding for sidewalks, bike paths and bike lanes, while in the House, lawmakers are looking at separated […]

The National Transportation Safety Board voted against staff to recommend mandatory helmet laws in all 50 states. (Streetsblog NYC) And in other NTSB news, the panel revealed that the software inside the self-driving Uber that killed an Arizona woman last year was not designed to detect pedestrians outside of a crosswalk. (Wired) A new Uber […]

It’s election day! Yes, it sounds strange, but in this case, a vote to cut transit funding will actually mean more money for buses. Cincinnati voters will decide today on Issue 22, which would roll back an income tax for transit. But it will only take effect if voters approve an even larger sales tax […]

Lyft lost nearly half a billion dollars in the third quarter, but revenue rose 63 percent, and the company says profitability is within reach. (The Verge) In a few years, new battery technology could allow electric cars to absorb a 200-mile charge in just 10 minutes (The Guardian), but City Journal will likely have a problem […]

In an excerpt from his book “The Future of Transportation,” Henry Grabar argues that the future isn’t new technology like self-driving cars, flying taxis or the hyperloop; it’s about reliable, existing technologies and giving people a choice other than driving. (Slate) It’s not just Halloween — walking and biking after dark is getting more dangerous […]