Wednesday’s Headlines Step Up Their Game

• Transportation is the biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S., but most state DOTs view their mission as widening highways in a futile effort to reduce traffic congestion, not fighting climate change. (Heat Map)
• Parking lots are major contributors to excessive heat and flooding in urban areas, and auto-centric Sun Belt cities like Phoenix are the worst offenders. (Scientific American)
• Violent assaults on transit workers have tripled since 2008. (Axios)
• At 34 percent, the pay gap between men and women who work at car dealerships is twice the national average. (Jalopnik)
• People for Bikes named its 20 best new bike lanes in the U.S., featuring some of the usual suspects like Seattle and some surprising choices like Jackson, Mississippi.
• Little has changed in the most recent Columbia River Crossing bridge plans except the cost since transit advocates helped kill the last version three years ago. (Portland Mercury)
• The L.A. Metro might be making a mistake allowing Lyft to run its bikeshare system. (Velo)
• As Streetsblog NYC continues its crusade against toll- and ticket-dodging drivers, a recent audit found that obscured license plates cost the city $100 million a year.
• A new “15-minute city” in Utah planned for an old prison site has plenty of parking but is not well integrated with transit. (Build Salt Lake)
• Lincoln, Nebraska, is considering removing minimum parking requirements in commercial and industrial areas in hopes of encouraging the redevelopment of blighted shopping centers. (Journal Star)
• Charlottesville’s newest city council member won more votes than any other candidate by running on a platform of transit, bike lanes and walkability. (Daily Progress)
• If you’re slipping and falling on icy sidewalks, you’re probably doing it wrong. (Huffington Post)

source https://usa.streetsblog.org/2024/01/24/wednesdays-headlines-step-up-their-game