- It was a good day for Sound Transit: The Seattle transit agency won a $100-million federal grant for the Lynnwood light rail extension, and a lawsuit challenging Washington’s car tab fee was dismissed. (Post-Intelligencer) Now, if only the mayor was keen on transit.
- Cincinnati is looking to L.A.’s $120-billion sales-tax levy as an example of how to raise funds to improve roads and transit. SORTA, the regional transit agency, recently took a sales tax hike off the November ballot, fearing it would not pass. (WKRC)
- BNSF railroad doesn’t want to let Minneapolis use its land for the Bottineau light rail line, pushing the project back to 2024 and possibly putting it in jeopardy. (Star Tribune)
- San Diego conservatives are at the center of the push to repeal California’s new gas tax, which funds local and state transit in addition to roads. It has as much to do with turning out Republicans as it does actually repealing the tax. (Times of San Diego)
- In a historic move, Gwinnett County in Georgia has voted to join MARTA, the metro Atlanta transit system. For decades the fast-growing suburb resisted joining, but as the area has become more diverse, attitudes have changed. (Daily Post)
- The Federal Transit Administration has approved the D.C. Metro’s plan for new safety barriers to protect blind riders from stepping into empty space between cars. (WTOP)
- Surfin' safari: Florida will contribute $9.5 million to a bus rapid transit line connecting St. Petersburg to nearby beaches. (Tampa Bay Times)
- E-scooter companies often drop their products on cities unannounced, and Savannah, Ga. is considering banning them before they even arrive. In addition, the city recently started a free downtown shuttle and is also expanding its docked bike-share program. (Morning News)
- Portland police say they’re too busy to patrol for drunk drivers. As a result, DUI summonses have dropped by more than half between 2011–2016. (Willamette Week)
- Toronto Mayor John Tory was criticized by challenger Jennifer Keesmaat for not doing enough to prevent cyclist and pedestrian deaths. Keesmaat unveiled a safety plan that includes reducing the speed limit on residential streets to about 20 miles per hour. (Daily Hive)
Today's Headlines
Monday’s Headlines
By Blake Aued
Stay in touch
Sign up for our free newsletter
More from Streetsblog USA
Friday’s Headlines Walk Five Hundred Miles
Or at least, sometimes it seems like the other side of the street is that far away. And wider streets are more dangerous for pedestrians, Smart Cities Dive reports.
October 25, 2024
Opinion: Who Does Passenger Rail Serve?
"In short, passenger rail serves everyone – even the people who don’t meet the profit margins of airlines and car manufacturers."
October 25, 2024
Talking Headways Podcast: Urgency and Vision Zero
Vision Zero Network founder Leah Shahum on why it’s so hard to make change, the implicit biases around designing for cars and World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, coming up on Nov. 17.
October 24, 2024
Cycle of Rage: To NY Gov., Saving Lives is Important, But Not if It’s Too Expensive to Suburban Drivers
Gov. Hochul signed into law an expansion on New York City red light cameras on Wednesday, saying that she didn’t want to waste “any more time” before improving road safety — but when it comes to the safety benefits of congestion pricing that she once championed, she said they come at too high of a cost to drivers.
Why America Has So Much Road Safety Research, But So Little Actual Safety
Why does all this research not translating into solid guidance that actually saves lives?
October 24, 2024
