Thursday’s Headlines ‘Round About Midnight

• Roundabouts are safer than signalized intersections, but most parts of the U.S. don’t have many, thanks to overzealous engineers and traffic-light salesmen. (Clean Technica)
• Assaults on transit workers more than double between 2008 and 2021, according to federal data. (NBC News)
• The Washington Post‘s Megan McArdle thinks Bird’s bankruptcy may lead to a quasi-monopoly on micromobility for competitor Lime.
• The Federal Highway Administration’s proposed rules on road worker safety are getting mixed reviews from the construction industry. (Construction Equipment Guide)
• Stepped-up traffic enforcement didn’t slow the scourge of traffic deaths in Portland this year, which hit a 30-year high of 65 after drivers killed four people on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. (Willamette Week)
• Cobb County, Georgia officials are considering a November 2024 referendum on a $12 billion transportation plan, half of which would be devoted to a network of bus rapid transit lines. But is the Atlanta suburb dense enough to support it? (AJC)
• An Illinois court ruled that a cyclist who hit a pothole and took a spill can’t sue because he wasn’t the roadway’s “intended” user — motorists are. (Men’s Journal)
• Baltimore light rail users are reluctant to ride after service was suspended for two weeks for emergency safety inspections. (WBAL)
• Houston has updated 5,000 bus stops to meet or exceed the Americans with Disabilities Act’s standards. (Mass Transit)
• Two Illinois lawmakers make the case for digging Chicago transit agencies out of a looming $730 million budget deficit. (Sun-Times)
• Des Moines buses are a lifeline for thousands of workers and students, but service could be cut by 40 percent unless local officials approve a new funding source. (Register)
• New Orleans’ Blue Bikes bikeshare surpassed 300,000 riders this year. (Biz New Orleans)
• Honolulu once had an extensive streetcar system that carried 20 million riders a year until it was replaced by buses and cars. (Civil Beat)

source https://usa.streetsblog.org/2023/12/28/thursdays-headlines-round-about-midnight