- Instead of holding meetings at City Hall attended by crowds that skew older, whiter and more affluent, transportation planners who want to engage diverse communities should bring the government to the people. (City Lab)
- As part of President Trump’s trade war, Congress is considering banning local and state governments from using federal funds to purchase Chinese buses and rail cars. (NPR)
- Google Maps is integrating transit directions with biking and ride-sharing options. (Venture Beat)
- More on Tuesday’s light-rail vote in Phoenix: By a wide margin, Phoenix voters rejected a ballot proposition that would have halted light-rail expansion (Arizona Republic). Like Streetsblog, the Phoenix New Times called it a rebuke to the ultraconservative Koch brothers, who’ve funded anti-transit efforts in numerous cities. In podcast form, KJZZ has reactions from pro-transit Mayor Kate Gallego and transit opponent Scott Mussi. Gallego told KTAR that she doesn’t expect a legal challenge, and construction on the South Central line will begin this fall.
- Des Moines will spend $60 million filling in 180 miles of sidewalk gaps over the next 20 years, focusing on areas near bus stops and schools. (KCCI)
- Alabama’s higher gas tax will mostly go toward widening roads. (AL.com)
- A Jacksonville expressway is getting a new sidewalk that will help pedestrians get to a bus stop safely. (Action News Jax)
- Pittsburgh Bike Share is offering unlimited 30-minute rides to first-year Pitt University students. (City Paper)
- Uber ads in London claim the service reduces congestion, contradicting its own publicly available data. (The Guardian)
- Now here’s a road widening we can get behind. (Greater Greater Washington)