Today’s Headlines

  • Democrats in Congress may tone down their new auto safety bill in response to industry complaints (WSJ)
  • D.C. considers using "value capture" methods, harnessing business gains from transit to pay for new streetcars (WashPost)
  • Joel Epstein on L.A.’s push to break from its past and embrace transit
  • New York in need of a statewide high-speed rail chief (Times-Union)
  • India cheers the arrival of the new Delhi Metro system (NYT)
  • Virginia cities under a mandate to find spare transportation cash — wherever possible (Virginian-Pilot)
  • Princeton, New Jersey, considers the phaseout of its locally beloved Dinky trains in favor of buses (NYT)
  • One New Jersey transit line is losing millions each year, relying on an honor systems for ticketholders without frequent checks (J. Journal)

ALSO ON STREETSBLOG

Photo: Bradlee9119 via Flickr

Needed: A Federal Program to Boost Transit Service

By Ben Fried and Steven Higashide |
Editor’s note: This article originally appeared on Transit Center and is republished with permission.  On March 13, 2020, at the onset of the pandemic, the Federal Transit Administration responded to the emergency by enabling transit agencies to spend federal funds to run buses and trains. It was a break with longstanding policy. Normally, federal grants are reserved […]

On the Pitfalls and Benefits of National Transit Safety Standards

By Elana Schor |
The second hearing in three days on the Obama administration’s proposal for national transit safety rules made headlines mostly for its affect on the Washington D.C. area, where Sen. Barbara Mikulski’s (D-MD) blistering critique of the local Metro rail system prompted high-level management switches. "There’s a saying in our business," APTA President William Millar (above) […]

Will Private Transit Startups Help or Hurt Public Transit?

By Angie Schmitt |
The rise of private transit operators like Bridj, Leap, and Uberpool has raised questions about equity in places including the Bay Area, where such services are fast replicating. A related issue is the impact they will have on traditional public transit systems. Private transit vehicles have been described as “like a lounge on wheels,” with […]