Urban Planning

The company has grown its fleet of driverless vehicles to three 18-wheelers, it said Wednesday. The service, which launched sans drivers in April, has now driven more than 20,000 miles, many between Dallas and Houston at night.

A long-gestating vacation rental ordinance will soon get an airing, starting with the city planning commission. Leaders are considering using software to get a better idea precisely how many such rentals the city has.

City officials and labor leaders were among those telling city councilors of fears autonomous self-driving cars and ride-share vehicles could be unable to navigate city streets.

City commissioners planned to vote this week on a vendor contract but have continued their conversation about implementing the cameras, to monitor vehicle traffic and deter crime. Some opposition emerged during public comment.

The project is under discussion, with a vote on approvals possible as soon as August. Comprising 20 parcels on just more than 1,000 acres, Project Cardinal would have two electrical substations.

With FIFA World Cup events and the 2028 Summer Olympic Games coming, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority will make it easier to pay for rides, get to the airport and reach other parts of the county.

The funding, awarded by the California Transportation Commission, will enable the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency to stand up a new train control system that will be communications-based and “precisely” track light rail vehicles.

A new report from StreetLight Data shows the direct correlation between urban density and the level of walking and biking that residents do. Both are increasingly viewed as key pieces of the transportation ecosystem.

The state Attorney General’s office said apartment rents have been kept artificially high in the suit, which alleges antitrust act violations. Several major cities have banned use of software to elevate rents.

The devices, which are finding their way onto local roads, could come to state highways too, with passage of a new law. The first step would be a plan for that expansion, from the state Department of Transportation.

The Greater Omaha Chamber and nonprofit Scott Data are working together in hopes of accelerating artificial intelligence use by local businesses. The latter maintains a 110,000-square-foot data center in the area.

So-called drone entertainment offers cities like Aspen and Parker a diverting but less flammable option to Fourth of July fireworks displays. The latter may have the “boom factor,” but could also ignite a wildfire.

City Council members in the Washington city unanimously approved banning a software class that aggregates information on properties and uses it to recommend rental prices to landlords. The mayor is expected to sign it.

A new GIS-powered state planning tool brings together more than 100 data sets to offer officials and members of the public a detailed look at where electric vehicle charging exists, is already planned, and may be needed.

The unofficial competition to put driverless taxis on the road is picking up speed. Zoox opened a production facility this week in California’s Bay Area. Waymo already offers paid rides in a few cities.

Officials this week approved contributing $1.75 million in state transit funding to the $3 million project. That means driverless Ford passenger vans are a go, in a 12-month trial with Florida-based company Beep.

Micromobility offerings in Columbus, Ohio, and Washington, D.C., will soon include electric cargo bikes capable of transporting up to 100 pounds. More device types and expanded infrastructure are intended to drive usage.

A project to connect Union Station in Los Angeles to Dodger Stadium via a mile-long gondola run aims to be done for the 2028 Summer Olympic Games. A similar aerial initiative is moving forward in neighboring Orange County.