Federal guidelines for eVTOL operations encourage cities to plan for infrastructure

As industry analysts anticipate rapid development of air taxi operations in the coming decade, the FAA released plans to integrate eVTOL aircraft in the nation’s airspace. 

By Dan Zukowski • May 16, 2023

How Bird, Lime, Spin and Superpedestrian want cities to regulate shared e-bikes and scooters

The companies’ recommendations come as many shared micromobility pilots end, and local governments make them permanent. 

By Michael Brady • May 15, 2023

Parking minimums will soon be history in Austin, Texas

“Our priority should be allowing space for people rather than mandating space for cars,” City Council member Zohaib Qadri said.

By Michael Brady • May 12, 2023

New York City’s congestion pricing plan gets the green light, despite opposition

Many advocates, urban planners and public officials in New York support the congestion pricing program, which would be the first in the U.S. Critics, however, called the program “anti-environment” and “cash-grabbing.”

By Michael Brady • May 10, 2023

Should Massachusetts build high-speed rail across the state?

The state's plan for intercity passenger trains along an existing freight line are "19th-century" thinking, Rep. Seth Moulton said. He also called on the state to advance a long-needed north-south rail link in Boston.

By Dan Zukowski • May 10, 2023

Portland, Oregon, to pilot zero-emission delivery zone

The project could help the city reduce climate pollution and improve public health, the Portland Bureau of Transportation said. Portland received nearly $2 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation for the project.

By Max Garland • May 9, 2023

Dallas restores core emergency dispatch systems after ransomware attack

“At this point, we do not have evidence or indication that there has been data removed during this attack,” Dallas CIO Bill Zielinski told city officials Monday.

By Matt Kapko • May 9, 2023

Connected vehicle technology advances in US with FCC waiver approval

Ford, Audi, Jaguar Land Rover North America, two state transportation departments and nine other companies will be able to invest in technology essential for fully autonomous vehicles.

By Dan Zukowski • May 9, 2023

Racial and ethnic disparities in traffic deaths revealed in NHTSA report

Blacks experience higher-than-average per capita traffic deaths, while such rates among White, Asian and Hispanic or Latino people are lower than average. Pedestrian fatality rates show even greater disparities.

By Dan Rosenbaum • May 5, 2023

Uber and Lyft ridership accelerates in Q1

“After lagging other regions in the recovery through 2021 and 2022, the ride-share category in the US & Canada is now growing faster in 2023,” Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said.

By Michael Brady • May 5, 2023

New York’s transit agency rescued by last-minute Albany budget deal

Facing fare hikes and service cuts, the New York Metropolitan Transit Authority will get an injection of state aid and a controversial payroll tax increase for New York City’s largest businesses. 

By Dan Zukowski • May 5, 2023

How governments are updating ‘operational technologies,’ including AI, and the challenges that remain: survey

Over half of the survey respondents reported their agency plans to upgrade systems by 2025, a Center for Digital Government and Samsara survey found. Operational efficiency and cost savings are a big reason why.

By Michael Brady • May 4, 2023

California spent $1.3B in cap-and-trade funds on climate, equity projects in 2022

The California Climate Investments funding addressed affordable housing, transportation, energy costs, extreme heat, fire, access to clean drinking water and more, a California Air Resources Board official said.

By Kalena Thomhave • May 2, 2023

Mobility could be transformed by 2035, with US car sales dropping 30%: report

As cities and consumers move toward new mobility options, “the mobility ecosystem will most likely undergo a transformation not seen since the early days of the automobile,” a McKinsey report says.

By Michael Brady • May 2, 2023

Grubhub will offer monthly e-bike credits to 500 NYC delivery workers

Grubhub and e-bike rental platform JOCO say their joint bike rental credit program could improve fire safety in the Big Apple, where 11 people have died in e-bike battery-related fires in 16 months.

By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • May 2, 2023

Flying taxis are coming. Cities will need dozens of vertiports.

By 2030, just one eVTOL operator could operate nearly seven times as many flights per day as the nation’s second-largest airline, estimates McKinsey and Co.

By Dan Zukowski • May 1, 2023

Without vehicle or viable public transit, 1 in 5 miss needed healthcare: report

Adults with a disability, Black adults, people with low incomes and those on public insurance were more likely to report going without needed healthcare because of transportation issues, the Urban Institute found.

By Shannon Muchmore • May 1, 2023

Women, people of color, renters underrepresented on land-use boards: report

Homeownership and other requirements could create barriers to participation that “function as inexplicit racial filters,” an Urban Institute report found.

By Gaby Galvin • April 28, 2023

Delivery robot expansion hampered by ‘regulatory nightmare’

While no states outright ban delivery bots, tech developers have decided to take a cautious approach to expansion rather than flood the market with robots and risk backlash.

By Max Garland • April 28, 2023

Uber, Lyft more responsive to ride demand than taxis are during emergencies: study

“In light of our findings, service providers and city planners should reevaluate and improve their mobility platform, particularly under emergencies, disasters and hazards,” one researcher said.

By Michael Brady • April 28, 2023

Asphalt art grants of $25K available from Bloomberg Philanthropies

“It’s amazing what a few cans of paint — and a forward-looking community — can achieve,” Bloomberg Philanthropies founder and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said in a statement.

By Michael Brady • April 27, 2023

NYC subway stations to get more elevators, ramps after MTA legal settlement

“Only about a quarter of stations are usable by people with disabilities affecting their mobility,” according to Disability Rights Advocates, which sued the Metropolitan Transportation Authority on behalf of people with disabilities.

By Michael Brady • April 26, 2023

New FTA requirements coming for transit agency safety plans

The 2021 infrastructure law directed the Federal Transit Administration to strengthen rail inspection practices, reduce assaults on transit vehicle operators and improve safety training.

By Dan Zukowski • April 26, 2023

$25B for fare-free transit? Federal lawmakers take third shot at passing legislation

The proposed legislation would create competitive grants to help transit providers establish zero-fare programs, improve bus service and pay for the increased costs of higher ridership.

By Dan Zukowski • April 25, 2023

Elon Musk’s company town plans worry some locals, urban planners

The plans for Snailbrook, near Boring Co. and future SpaceX manufacturing facilities in central Texas, raise questions about local governance, environmental impacts and more.

By Adina Solomon • April 24, 2023