Monday’s Headlines
- California Gov. Gavin Newsom's decision to drastically scale back plans for a Los Angeles-San Francisco bullet train is a gift to anti-transit Republicans. (Politico) He ensured Americans won't get to experience modern rail travel for another generation. (Fortune)
- A new study says that bike- and scooter-shares are hurting bus ridership, but trains and subways benefit. Bus trips tend to be just a couple of miles, which can easily be ridden on a bike or scooter. People also rent bikes and scooters to ride to the train station. (Government Technology)
- The Federal Transit Administration is threatening to withhold $1.6 billion, including funding to build Maryland's Purple Line, if the D.C. Metro restores late-night service. Critics of extending hours say it would cut into needed maintenance time. (Washington Post) In part because of the threat, a Metro committee voted last week to keep the current hours. (WAMU)
- The Post also reports that Maryland is planning to add toll lanes to I-270 and the Beltway. And Georgia legislators are pushing for a whole new interstate: I-14, which would run from west Texas to Augusta. (WSB-TV)
- New York City's mayor penned an op-ed in the Times after Amazon took its ball and went home rather than deal with predictable local opposition — but that predictable local opposition had been ignored by Mayor de Blasio and Gov. Cuomo when they decided to give a $3-billion handout to the richest man in the world.
- While Democrats in Gwinnett County vocally support expanding transit into the rapidly changing Atlanta suburb, most Republicans don't want to talk about it either way. (AJC)
- New Orleans's transit authority is eliminating stops along the Canal Street streetcar line in hopes of speeding up ride times. (The Advocate)
- Biking, walking and transit groups are asking Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine for a cut if the state raises its gas tax. (Cincinnati Inquirer)
- Federal authorities are investigating potential fiscal mismanagement of a Honolulu light-rail project. (Civil Beat)
- Awwwww. An Oklahoma City couple got married on the streetcar on Valentine's Day. (KOCO)
Stay in touch
Sign up for our free newsletter
More from Streetsblog USA
Friday’s Headlines Are Tired Out
Whether it's from degradation or the dust resulting from wear and tear, it's becoming increasingly clear that tire and brake emissions are harmful, perhaps even exceeding tailpipe emissions.
Study: What Road Diets Mean For Older Drivers
"After a road diet, all motorists seem to drive at a rate that feels comfortable to a mildly-impaired older adult."
Op-Ed: Why Is Fare Evasion Punished More Severely than Speeding?
A.B. 819 offers California the opportunity to decriminalize fare evasion and replace punitive measures with more equitable approaches.
Talking Headways Podcast: Local Culture and Development
We chat with Tim Sprague from Phoenix about supporting local culture through development projects and the importance of sustainable development and transportation.
City of Yes Yes Yes! Adams Calls for Elimination of Parking Mandates on ALL New Housing
Mayor Adams today announced the historic end to one of the city’s most antiquated — and despised — zoning laws requiring the construction of parking with every new development.
