Transportation: Page 14

  • A protester holds a sign during a demonstration opposing self-driving robotaxis.
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    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
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    ‘End the unsafe operation’ of autonomous vehicles, union leaders tell US DOT

    Federal oversight and more investigations into AV companies are urgently needed as robotaxis wreak chaos in public spaces, said 26 labor unions in a Wednesday letter.

    By • Nov. 10, 2023
  • The Cruise Origin autonomous ride-hailing vehicle.
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    Courtesy of Cruise LLC
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    GM halts production of the Cruise Origin robotaxi

    The decision follows California regulators ordering Cruise to cease operations after a pedestrian was struck by one of its self-driving vehicles in downtown San Francisco.

    By Eric Walz • Nov. 9, 2023
  • smart city, smart cities Explore the Trendlineâž”
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    jamesteohart via Getty Images
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    Trendline

    Top 5 stories from Smart Cities Dive

    From worsening climate change to a shifting transportation landscape and the housing affordability crisis, cities have their work cut out for them.

    By Smart Cities Dive staff
  • A woman with rolling luggafe walks near Uber and Lyft signs.
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    Mario Tama via Getty Images
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    Uber, Lyft report Q3 growth as ride-hailing demand booms

    The surge in consumer travel combined with return-to-office and back-to-school commutes helped lift the companies’ business.

    By • Nov. 9, 2023
  • Two people are seen riding a scooter and a bicycle along a path.
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    Canetti via Getty Images
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    Shared bike, e-scooter use recovers from pandemic lows, but hurdles remain

    Potentially concerning trends include rising costs for riders and an uncertain future for some shared-micromobility companies, a new report says.

    By • Nov. 8, 2023
  • Aerial photo shows a channel filled with boats leading out to a large body of water, with buildings and roads on either side.
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    Karen Ducey via Getty Images
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    Feds award $653M for 41 port projects

    Projects in New Jersey, Washington state and Texas are among the recipients of grants that aim to bolster U.S. supply chain infrastructure.

    By Julie Strupp • Nov. 7, 2023
  • Manhattan skyline at sunset from an elevated angle.
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    GCShutter via Getty Images
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    NYC wants a ‘blue highway’ on its waterways

    To leverage its long coastline for delivery and get polluting trucks off the streets, the city is looking to the private sector for ideas.

    By • Nov. 7, 2023
  • A person is holding an electric vehicle charging plug into a yellow EV.
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    SouthWorks via Getty Images
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    Are EV sales tanking? This Al Gore doesn’t think so.

    Despite recent labor and manufacturing woes, EV sales remain strong, and cities will benefit as more electric trucks and buses hit the streets, Al Gore III said.

    By • Nov. 7, 2023
  • Overhead view of many pedestrians in a crosswalk.
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    Dmytro Varavin via Getty Images
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    Cities tackle rising pedestrian deaths

    Experts cite risky, distracted and impaired driving — as well as less traffic enforcement — as factors sending pedestrian fatalities to new highs. Can new funding reverse the tide?

    By • Nov. 6, 2023
  • A silver Amtrak train comes out of the opening of a brown stone tunnel.
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    Drew Angerer via Getty Images
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    Amtrak Northeast Corridor projects get $16B in federal funding

    Major bridge and tunnel projects will make the nation’s busiest passenger railroad “safer, faster, and more reliable,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said.

    By • Nov. 6, 2023
  • Electric vehicle, or EV, charging stations.
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    gerenme via Getty Images
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    Opinion

    Big power’s EV charging strategy: Raise rates, overpromise, underdeliver, repeat

    We grant publicly regulated utilities certain privileges in exchange for reliability and affordability. When they try to leverage that privilege to corner a new market, they deserve plenty of pushback.

    By Jay Smith • Nov. 6, 2023
  • Pairs of empty shoes and boots on pavement.
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    Alex Milan Tracy/Sipa/AP

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    Deep Dive

    Advocates hope federal funding will help stem the tide of pedestrian deaths

    Complete Streets, Vision Zero and the safe system approach all aim to improve pedestrian safety. The federal government is finally putting big dollars behind the effort, too.

    By , , • Nov. 3, 2023
  • Cars and pedestrians navigate a rainy downtown street in Tucson, Arizona.
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    A.E. Araiza/Arizona Daily Star/AP

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    Deep Dive

    Can Sun Belt cities go from danger zones to pedestrian-friendly?

    Tucson, Jacksonville, Los Angeles and other fast-growing, car-centric cities are focusing on street design and other strategies to slow drivers.

    By , , • Nov. 2, 2023
  • A green train stands on tracks to the right of a new-looking open-air station platform.
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    The image by Pi.1415926535 is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
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    Boston’s year-old $2.3B Green Line Extension needs repairs

    Construction wrapped on the light rail project in December 2022, but it turns out the rails were placed too narrowly, said the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s general manager.

    By Julie Strupp • Nov. 1, 2023
  • Overhead view of pedestrians crossing a street in midtown Manhattan.
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    Bruce Bennett via Getty Images
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    Deep Dive

    US drivers kill 20 pedestrians a day. Here’s what cities are doing about it.

    Targeted interventions aim to reduce the higher pedestrian death rates in communities of color and low-income communities and make cities more walkable for all.

    By , , • Nov. 1, 2023
  • Close-up of building with Department of Transportation lettered on yellow bricks.
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    sshepard via Getty Images
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    US DOT awards over $82M in grants for safer streets to 235 communities

    Although most grants were under $1 million, Baltimore received nearly $10 million to pilot road safety strategies and install sensors at key intersections.

    By • Oct. 31, 2023
  • A fleet of white eVTOL aircraft with four rotors, one parked with landing gear on concrete surface in front of glass terminal building and others in midflight.
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    peepo via Getty Images
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    Legal fights over air taxi regulation stand in the industry’s way

    The technology is largely there for short-haul urban rides to become a reality, but uncertainty over governing jurisdictions is one of the issues keeping the industry grounded.

    By Ramona Dzinkowski • Oct. 30, 2023
  • A Chevrolet Cruise autonomous vehicle with a driver moves through an intersection on June 08, 2023 in San Francisco, California.
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    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
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    Cruise robotaxi investigations

    Cruise recalls driverless robotaxis after halting operations in 3 cities

    The General Motors subsidiary is grappling with two federal investigations and a recent incident in which one of its cars left a pedestrian seriously injured.

    By • Updated Nov. 8, 2023
  • A white General Motors Bolt electric vehicle with a red "Cruise" logo is crossing an intersection in downtown San Francisco, with a street of parked cars and businesses behind it.
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    Courtesy of Cruise
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    Cruise robotaxi investigations

    California suspends Cruise robotaxis for misrepresenting safety

    The General Motors subsidiary withheld portions of a video showing a recent incident that left a pedestrian severely injured, the state DMV said.

    By • Oct. 25, 2023
  • Two transit buses painted gray with an orange stripe stopped on a street behind two trees.
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    Angele LaFaver via Getty Images
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    70+ cities, groups report progress a year after committing to shared-mobility goals

    The shared-use mobility “action agenda” seeks to reduce reliance on private vehicles while creating more sustainable and equitable transportation systems.

    By • Oct. 24, 2023
  • A Brightline train in white, yellow and pink colors races along a track under electric wires while blurred cars are seen on a highway in the foreground.
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    Courtesy of Brightline West
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    High hopes for US high-speed rail

    Only 50 miles of high-speed track currently exist in the U.S., but an expansion could create thousands of jobs and slash greenhouse gas emissions, says a Mineta Transportation Institute study.

    By • Oct. 23, 2023
  • A traffic signal mounted horizontally on an overhead arm next to a camera.
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    Andreart1 via Getty Images
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    Cities reap benefits from ‘intelligent transportation systems,’ but challenges remain

    Technologies that can improve traffic flow and safety for pedestrians and bicyclists need "sustained funding and leadership," local and state officials told the Government Accountability Office.

    By • Oct. 20, 2023
  • Work continues at the site in a view from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation's live feed of the highway repairs.
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    Retrieved from PennDOT.
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    Congress grapples with how to pay for highways, transit

    As the Highway Trust Fund, which relies mainly on fuel taxes, sees diminishing revenue from a growing number of EVs and more fuel-efficient vehicles, state and federal officials look to alternatives.

    By • Oct. 19, 2023
  • People bicycle and jog on a paved path lined by trees
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    Stephanie Keith/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    NYC plans greenway expansion amid concern about cycling deaths

    Supporters of the expansion called it “historic," but other street safety decisions have left advocates feeling betrayed by the mayor, reports news organization Gothamist.

    By • Oct. 18, 2023
  • A 25 mph speed limit sign with a large apartment building in the background.
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    U.Ozel.Images via Getty Images
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    California greenlights 6 cities to test speed cameras in bid to reduce fatal crashes

    The pilot program allows the cities to install automated speed enforcement cameras under specific conditions.

    By • Oct. 18, 2023
  • An overhead view of the six-lane Cross Bronx Expressway filled with bumper-to-bumper cars and large trucks.
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    Spencer Platt via Getty Images
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    How many chargers will the Northeast’s electric trucks need? National Grid aims to find out.

    The U.S. Department of Energy-funded analysis will span some of the nation’s largest cities, targeting highways with heavy trucking traffic and commercial areas such as ports.

    By Robert Walton • Oct. 17, 2023