Driverless trucks are coming to Dallas-area grocery stores

Kroger plans to grow its fleet with autonomous-vehicle supplier Gatik to transport products between an e-commerce warehouse and several stores during the second quarter of 2023.

By Sam Silverstein • March 15, 2023

$10 million US DOT grant to NYU supports smart transportation policy efforts

The grant is one of 34 awards, totaling $435 million, for university transportation centers announced in February.

By Dan Zukowski • March 15, 2023

Explore the Trendline➔

Top 5 stories from Smart Cities Dive

From worsening climate change to a shifting transportation landscape and the housing affordability crisis, cities have their work cut out for them.

By Smart Cities Dive staff

California court defends independent contractor status for gig workers

A California court upheld the independent contractor provision of Prop 22 but struck down portions that would’ve made it almost impossible to amend the law. 

By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • March 14, 2023

$700 million for community EV charging now available from federal grant program

Cities, counties, other local governments and tribes can apply for grants for public charging in urban and rural communities.

By Dan Zukowski • March 14, 2023

Skanska predicts construction costs will rise above inflation in many US cities

The new report examined construction costs in 21 U.S. markets, including Dallas; New York City; Orlando, Florida; Phoenix; San Francisco; and Seattle.

By Zachary Phillips • March 14, 2023

Can tech startups make delivery less of a headache for cities?

The proliferation of delivery services was a boon during the pandemic, but traffic, parking and labor concerns have followed. Tech and startup leaders spoke recently about how to reduce those impacts.

By Maylin Tu • March 13, 2023

Massachusetts governor seeks to expand intercity passenger train service to Western Massachusetts

With Western Massachusetts currently served by just one daily round-trip train from Boston, Gov. Maura Healey's proposed fiscal 2024 budget includes $12.5 million for the East-West rail project.

By Dan Zukowski • March 13, 2023

Dynamic curbs could make cities more livable but would require getting more people out of cars, experts say

During the early years of the COVID-19 pandemic, cities allowed sidewalk dining streeteries and parklets. Now they’re “tearing half of them down to turn them back into parking spots,” a Lyft executive said.

By Maylin Tu • March 13, 2023

Biden 2024 budget asks Congress to allow transit capital funds to be used for operating expenses

The “historic policy change” could stave off drastic fare hikes and service cuts as transit agencies face budget shortfalls in the coming years.

By Dan Zukowski • March 10, 2023

New transit workforce dashboard can help agencies tackle labor shortages

The dashboard creates a one-stop shop for “visualizations and digestible information about the transit workforce” that will be continually updated, the Transit Workforce Center said.

By Dan Zukowski • March 9, 2023

Philadelphia kicks off project to reconnect Chinatown neighborhood divided by expressway

The Chinatown Stitch project will develop a plan to “cap” a less than one-mile stretch of Interstate 676, called the Vine Street Expressway, that split the community more than 30 years ago.

By Michael Brady • March 9, 2023

Government can strike a calming balance between road safety and speed

Editor's note: This article was originally published in American City & County, which has merged with Smart Cities Dive to bring you expanded coverage of city innovation and local government. For the latest in smart city news, explore Smart Cities Dive or sign up for our newsletter.We live in...

By Wes Guckert, PTP • March 8, 2023

Self-driving cars have people worried: survey

Although manufacturers tout their potential to reduce accidents, "driverless vehicles are nowhere near ready for prime time," a safety advocate said.

By Dan Zukowski • March 8, 2023

NYC cuts proposed delivery worker wage floor by almost $4

Grubhub, Uber Eats and DoorDash persuaded the city to reduce its 2025 target base pay by $3.86 an hour, arguing workers would be compensated by “multi-apping.”

By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • March 8, 2023

To fight e-bike fires, New York state and city lawmakers crack down on unsafe batteries, chargers

“Reconditioned and untested batteries are contributing to a serious threat to the health and safety of New Yorkers in their homes and in their jobs,” state Sen. Liz Krueger said.

By Michael Brady • March 8, 2023

San Francisco transit agencies face “worst-case scenarios” for revenue, potential service cuts, leaders say

California, facing a $22 billion budget shortfall, may cut state funding for transportation just as major transit agencies struggle to regain riders and find new revenues.  

By Dan Zukowski • March 7, 2023

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

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

Surveyed program participants 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

Transportation department announces $145M for projects that reconnect communities

Editor's note: This article was originally published in American City & County, which has merged with Smart Cities Dive to bring you expanded coverage of city innovation and local government. For the latest in smart city news, explore Smart Cities Dive or sign up for our newsletter.When the I...

By Andy Castillo • March 1, 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