In The News

Trucks with no one aboard? The future is near for self-driving tractor-trailers NBCPhiladelphia.com, 4/29/24 On a three-lane test track along the Monongahela River, an 18-wheel tractor-trailer rounded a curve. No one was on board. The self-driving semi, outfitted with 25 laser, radar and camera sensors, is owned by Pittsburgh-based Aurora Innovation. Late this year, Aurora plans to start hauling freight on Interstate 45 between the Dallas and Houston areas with 20 driverless trucks.
 

The reckless policies that helped fill our streets with ridiculously large cars Vox, April 28, 2024 - Low-slung station wagons are all but extinct on American roads, and even sedans have become an endangered species. (Ford, producer of the iconic Model T a century ago, no longer sells any sedans in its home market.) Bulky SUVs and pickup trucks — which have themselves steadily added pounds and inches — now comprise more than four out of every five new cars sold in the US, up from just over half in 2013, even as national household size steadily declines.

In deploying AI, the Federal Aviation Administration faces unique challenges Fedscoop, APRIL 30, 2024  As federal agencies ramp up their AI work, observers say the FAA is taking a “cautious” approach as it wrestles with safety questions.

Biden Administration Moves to Speed Up Permits for Clean Energy New York Times, April 30, 2024 - The Biden administration on Tuesday released rules designed to speed up permits for clean energy while requiring federal agencies to more heavily weigh damaging effects on the climate and on low-income communities before approving projects like highways and oil wells.

Has the US finally figured out how to do high-speed rail? New Scientist, April 22, 2024 - As work begins on building the US’s first high-speed rail service – linking Los Angeles to Las Vegas – analysts say the project could serve as a blueprint for similar projects across the country.

The Unlikely New Bike Lanes Gracing the Scottish Capital CityLab Perspective, April 19, 2024 - Edinburgh’s longest cycle lane, opened recently, was a decade in the making. And if it can happen in this hilly, windswept northern city, well, it can happen pretty much anywhere.

Lawmakers to allow NYC to lower speed limit to 20 mph Gothamist, April 18, 2024 - The deal will not allow the city to lower the speed limits on roads with three or more lanes of traffic heading in one direction, a caveat that was designed to get city-based members of the Legislature on board with the deal. The City Council as well as Mayor Eric Adams would still need to sign off on the change.

Insurance Market Instability Threatens the Present and Future of Commuter Rail Service Railway Age, April 17, 2024 - In 2021, Congress passed the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal and made the largest Federal investment in public transit in the nation’s history. Between new investments and reauthorizations, the legislation committed $89.9 billion in public funding over a five-year period.

NYC’s New Office of Livable Streets Aims To Make Streets Safer, Greener and More Habitable Next City, April 16, 2024 - The Office of Livable Streets is working to accommodate the cycling boom — both the increase in people choosing to bike commute, but also the increase in e-bikes and e-cargo bikes used for delivery, including new safety standards for e-cargo bikes, charging stations and bike storage for e-bike delivery workers and projects in 2024 to widen bike lanes.

8 years into America’s e-scooter experiment, what have we learned? Grist.com, April 15, 2024 - The climate benefits of shared e-scooters depend upon how companies deploy and manage them, and what steps are taken to keep riders safe.