US DOT and Austin, Texas, launch first-of-its-kind $22 billion transportation partnership

It’s the first time the Transportation Department has entered an emerging projects agreement with a city to fast-track networks of related projects rather than using a piecemeal approach.

By Michael Brady • March 7, 2023

National League of Cities calls for congressional action to improve rail safety

The letter calls for specific improvements to rail safety as legislators consider new bipartisan action in response to the Ohio train derailment in February.

By Dan Zukowski • March 6, 2023

Explore the Trendline➔

Smart Cities Dive 2023 Outlook

In the year ahead, city leaders will continue to face economic headwinds while tackling the housing shortage, rethinking land use, dealing with changes in travel behavior and implementing federal spending programs to electrify and decarbonize cars, buses and buildings.

By Smart Cities Dive staff

Point-counterpoint: should garages be the “gas station” of the future for electric vehicle charging?

Experts at the International Parking & Mobility Institute (IPMI) are driving innovation, transformation, electrification, and the future of parking and mobility.  Plug in to the conversation on when, where, and how to charge electric vehicles for maximum impact.

By Mary Smith, PE, and Andrew Sachs, CAPP excerpted from articles in Parking & Mobility Magazine • March 6, 2023

Federal infrastructure funds begin to flow, mostly to roadwork

Spending on roadway contracts in 2022 was more than 29 times higher than spending on rail and transit contracts, according to American Road & Transportation Builders Association data.

By Dan Zukowski • March 3, 2023

New Mexico considering bill to mandate, fund protected bike lanes in some roadway improvement projects

The requirement would apply to roadway improvement projects in municipalities with 10,000 or more residents.

By Michael Brady • March 3, 2023

Denver’s e-bike program produced more new riders, less car trips: report

Program participants who were surveyed said they rode their bikes an average of 26 miles per week, replacing 3.4 round-trip vehicle trips, a new report found. 

By Danielle McLean • March 2, 2023

US DOT to audit SEPTA rail car contract with China-based supplier for Buy America compliance

A photo showing a rail car bound for the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority being assembled in China prompted Congress to request the investigation.

By Dan Zukowski • March 2, 2023

45 projects receive first Reconnecting Communities grants from US DOT

With funding from the bipartisan infrastructure law, the Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program aims to restore connections between communities that had been severed by highways and other transportation infrastructure. 

By Dan Zukowski • March 1, 2023

Chick-fil-A opens free space for food delivery workers in NYC through mid-April

Couriers in Manhattan can access The Brake Room, which has bathrooms, bike storage, electrical outlets, seating, Wi-Fi and beverages.

By Julie Littman • March 1, 2023

$250M for curbing climate pollution, advancing environmental justice available from US EPA

Each of the 67 most-populated U.S. metropolitan areas is eligible for $1 million in planning grants, which the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will follow with $4.6 billion to help cities and states implement their plans later this year.

By Michael Brady • March 1, 2023

Pedestrian deaths up 5% in first half of 2022: GHSA report

An average of 19 people a day are killed by motor vehicles, creating "a pedestrian safety crisis on our roads," said a Governors Highway Safety Association spokesperson.

By Dan Zukowski • Feb. 28, 2023

‘Impossible to build’: REIT Vornado postpones mixed-use development planned for New York’s Penn Station

The Vornado development is part of New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s plan to redevelop Penn Station with tax revenue generated by the project.

By Sebastian Obando • Feb. 28, 2023

Intercity bus station closures create problems for riders

The closure of many Greyhound bus stations “is putting a lot of pressure on state and local governments to help find fixes,” said a researcher at the Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development at DePaul University.

By Dan Zukowski • Feb. 27, 2023

States could help struggling transit agencies close their budget gaps: report

Gas taxes fund transportation in most states, but some of them partially or fully prohibit the use of those dollars for public transportation.

By Dan Zukowski • Feb. 24, 2023

Most Los Angeles County bus stops lack protection from extreme heat

Low-income people of color “are chronically underserved and exposed to heat while waiting for transit," according to the authors of a UCLA study.

By Dan Zukowski • Feb. 23, 2023

Subway sandwich chain to install EV charging stations at select stores

The smaller stations will have fast EV chargers that provide a 120-mile charge within 17 minutes for about $20.

By Julie Littman • Feb. 23, 2023

ARPA fund spending shows regional differences in local government priorities, researchers say

Large cities and counties have spent the largest share of state and local fiscal recovery funds from the American Rescue Plan Act on government operations. But their spending on other priorities diverges from there, researchers found.

By Michael Brady • Feb. 23, 2023

EV charging infrastructure is “inadequate and plagued with non-functioning stations”: J.D. Power

Roughly one in five public charging attempts fails, with 72% of them attributed to equipment issues. “Just adding stations isn’t the answer ... we need to make sure those stations are reliable,” one J.D. Power executive said.

By Dan Zukowski • Feb. 22, 2023

Biden signs executive order to advance racial equity

The directive requires federal agencies to improve their community outreach, boost investments in underserved communities and address population displacement, among other initiatives.

By Michael Brady • Feb. 17, 2023

Virginia county launches smart parking pilot

Arlington County, Virginia, has partnered with eleven-x to install approximately 5,000 sensors in on-street parking spaces, allowing drivers to use signs and an app to get real-time information about parking availability.

By Michael Brady • Feb. 17, 2023

Why storefront car crashes happen at convenience stores so often

7-Eleven’s recent $91 million settlement for an accident in its forecourt highlights an alarmingly common — and potentially hazardous — issue.

By Brett Dworski • Feb. 17, 2023

EPA report: US transportation CO2 emissions up 14% from 2020 to 2021

A draft U.S. Environmental Protection Agency report cites pickup trucks, SUVs and other light-duty trucks as the largest contributor to emissions from fossil fuels in 2021.

By Dan Zukowski • Feb. 16, 2023

Tesla to make some of its EV chargers public as White House announces rules for national charging network

The rules will require federally funded chargers to be built in the United States, beginning with final assembly and some manufacturing processes.

By Robert Walton • Feb. 15, 2023

More people are working from home. Here’s how much it’s costing US cities.

Commuters are spending thousands less on meals, entertainment and shopping near their workplaces each year because they’re working from home more often than before the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new study.

By Michael Brady • Feb. 15, 2023

‘Noise cameras’ aim to address vehicle nuisance complaints on city streets

Aftermarket vehicle exhaust systems are a noisy nuisance on some streets and intersections. Cities are trying new technology to pinpoint the problem and, in one city, ticket the offenders.

By Dan Rosenbaum • Feb. 15, 2023