Two parked electric cars by Steve Jurvetson licensed under Creative Commons.

The electric car movement may not be as clean a transition as we think. A major national transportation organization calls for a new vision for federal spending. Seattle wants to put a lid on one of its freeways.

The myth of green cars: Electric cars may not be the viable alternative to gas-fueled ones that many had hoped. Even electric cars use up a lot of resources in manufacturing, and much of the electricity produced comes from fossil fuels. Hetti O’Brien argues that the auto industry’s shift toward electric vehicles is merely a performative action of embracing environmental benefits, while allowing automakers to meet their bottom line. (Hetti O’Brien | New Statesman America)

Transportation for America isn’t asking for more federal money: The director of Transportation of America, Beth Osborne, points out that the organization hasn’t really updated its broad goals from 1956. She opines that the country needs a new set of guidelines on where to spend federal transportation funding, and more transparency about where the money is being spent. (Beth Osborne | T4 America Blog)

Seattle may cap Interstate 5: Engineering firm WSP has determined in its technical feasibility study that it is structurally possible to construct a freeway lid over I-5 in downtown Seattle. The study could pave the way for a park there, and possibly housing as well. The study shows that it’s possible to build midrise and highrise buildings on the lid structure. (Natalie Bicknell | The Urbanist)

Understanding Zurich streets: Since the 1980s, typical thoroughfares in Zurich have given way to streetcars, bike lanes, and pedestrian pathways, with minimal space for private vehicles. On one particular street in Zurich, one car lane carried about 500 people in the peak hour; the streetcars zooming by, however, carry about 3,500 people an hour. (Norman Garrick | CityLab)

A census error wrecks Philly data: The US Census Bureau has stated that it identified a massive error in data collected on Philadelphia’s populace in 2017, which included aspects like poverty, income, and employment. The bureau issued a statement to disregard these 2017 statistics. A bureau spokesperson stated that a “field representative improperly collected data for Philadelphia County.” (Alfred Lubrano | WHYY Philadelphia)

Quote of the Week

“I didn’t cycle a lot for 10 years. But for the past two years, I’ve had my own bike again and, when the weather allows, I travel into the office that way.”

Dutch Prime Minister at the World Economic Forum discussing his commute to work on his bike.

This week on the podcast, Adie Tomer a fellow at The Brookings Institution and Noah Siegel, Interim Deputy Director at the Portland Bureau of Transportation talk about the Economic Value Atlas Tool.