- Washington has toppled Massachusetts as the League of American Bicyclists‘ most bike-friendly state (Seattle Times). But the organization warns that even the best state DOTs can do more (Streetsblog USA).
- No, Pete Buttigieg didn’t spend $7.5 billion to build eight electric vehicle chargers. More than 200 funded by the Biden administration’s infrastructure law are open, with almost 25,000 planned. (Reuters). In related news, California is spending $1.4 billion on EV chargers and hydrogen fueling infrastructure (Smart Cities Dive)
- A new study came to the obvious conclusion that people who live in walkable neighborhoods walk more. (Men’s Health)
- The U.S. Supreme Court will hear a challenge to California’s ability to set its own vehicle emissions standards. (The Guardian)
- Seattle’s Link light rail broke its monthly ridership record for the third time in a row in October. (The Urbanist)
- Portland is removing a car lane from Northeast Boulevard but only including an unprotected bike lane. (BikePortland)
- The switch to EVs could hurt Massachusetts transit because it’s partially funded by gas taxes. (States Newsroom)
- Jacksonville is considering converting its Skyway monorail into a track for autonomous shuttles that’s connected to surface streets by ramps. (Daily Record)
- One Miami official estimates it will cost at least $6 billion to build out a transit plan that was overwhelmingly endorsed by voters in November. (WUSF)
- Chicago is using smaller amounts of environmentally damaging road salt during snowy winters. (CBS News)
- Mesa will use a $16 million federal grant to study a potential 4.4-mile streetcar extension. (Tribune)
- Houston “bus lady” Janis Scott, a well-known transit advocate for decades, has died. (Chronicle)
- Kai Ryssdale’s Marketplace podcast looks at the open streets movement in Brooklyn.
- A Boston man ordered half a cord of firewood, only to find 400 logs dumped on the sidewalk in front of his apartment. (WOKQ)
From the editors: Streetsblog provides high-quality journalism and analysis for free — which is something to be celebrated in an era of paywalls. But the work Streetsblog does is not free; we rely on the generosity of our readers to help support our reporters and editors as they advance the movement to end car dependency in our communities.
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