Transportation: Page 19

  • 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 Ysabelle Kempe • 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
  • A Chevrolet Cruise autonomous vehicle with a driver moves through an intersection on June 08, 2023 in San Francisco, Californi
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    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
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    Cruise robotaxi investigations

    Cruise faces federal investigation after driverless robotaxi severely injures pedestrian

    The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating four incidents involving autonomous Cruise vehicles and pedestrians in San Francisco.

    By • Oct. 17, 2023
  • An adult man enjoys a bicycle ride on a sunny autumn day in Seattle.
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    RyanJLane via Getty Images
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    Seattle publishes guide to reducing transportation emissions

    The city’s transportation department wants to speed up a mode shift away from fossil fuel-powered vehicles as Seattle faces the reality that it isn’t on track to meet its climate goals.

    By • Oct. 13, 2023
  • New York City skyline
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    Gian Lorenzo Ferretti Photography via Getty Images
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    NYC launches ‘smart city testbed’: Here are the first 3 pilot technologies

    Initial projects aim to pull pollution out of the air and scan buildings for flaws that reduce energy efficiency.

    By Ysabelle Kempe • Oct. 12, 2023
  • Uber sign on office building in New York City.
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    Michael M. Santiago via Getty Images
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    Uber to face sexual assault claims in new multidistrict litigation

    The litigation “is one of the largest federal sexual assault litigations ever and it will undoubtedly change [the] American rideshare industry forever,” said one of the plaintiffs’ attorneys.

    By • Oct. 12, 2023
  • Chicago silver colored commuter train moving on elevated tracks to railroad station in between urban city buildings of Chicago, Illinois.
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    Mlenny via Getty Images
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    FTA offers $197M to replace aging public transit rail vehicles

    The Rail Vehicle Replacement Grant Program will cover up to half the cost of new locomotives and passenger rail cars for state, local and regional transit systems.

    By • Oct. 11, 2023
  • Aerial shot of city with lines connecting different locations
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    alexsl via Getty Images
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    Notable 2024 conferences for smart city leaders

    Newly added events focus on traffic safety, technology and green infrastructure.

    By Ysabelle Kempe • Updated Aug. 2, 2024
  • A car salesperson shaking hands with a customer.
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    skynesher/E+ via Getty Images
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    Are EV tax credits too hard to use? The Biden administration thinks so.

    In January, car shoppers will be able to transfer their clean vehicle tax credits to dealers to lower the purchase price of electrified vehicles.

    By Michael Brady • Oct. 9, 2023
  • Amtrak "Empire Builder" train leaving snow-covered Chicago.
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    Courtesy of Amtrak Photo by Marc Glucksman/River Rail Photo
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    Amtrak remakes itself with new trains and infrastructure improvements

    Flush with $66 billion in cash from the 2021 infrastructure law, the nation’s passenger railroad seeks to upgrade and expand service.

    By • Oct. 9, 2023
  • An electric vertical takeoff and landing, or eVTOL, aircraft is flying a few feet above ground level with a pilot visible in the cockpit.
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    Courtesy of Joby Aviation
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    Pilots begin to test-fly eVTOLs as race to commercialization continues

    The air taxis could be zooming over cities by 2025 and are expected to usher in a new era of urban air mobility, says the Federal Aviation Administration.

    By • Oct. 6, 2023
  • An Amtrak "Pacific Surfliner" train at Los Angeles Union Station.
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    Permission granted by LOSSAN
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    Amtrak switches to renewable diesel fuel for ‘Pacific Surfliner’ trains

    Fuel from sources like used cooking oil will cut greenhouse gas emissions 63% for these trains, which run along the Southern California coast, said the agency that manages the service.

    By • Oct. 5, 2023
  • People in a subway station with water on the floor.
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    Michael M. Santiago via Getty Images
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    MTA lags on NYC subway flooding prevention plan

    A new audit shows severe weather amplified by climate change poses a huge risk to the city’s transit system, which was swamped by a tropical rainstorm last week.

    By Julie Strupp • Oct. 5, 2023