Wednesday’s Headlines
- New York City transit workers are still fighting for recognition for their role in rescuing survivors and cleaning up in the aftermath of 9/11. (Spectrum News)
- Biking deaths are up 25 percent since 2010 and 10 percent since last year as all other traffic fatalities fell, mainly due to a lack of protected bike lanes in most urban areas. (Vice)
- Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan wants to cut $345 million from the state transit budget over the next six years. The agency is already facing a $2 billion shortfall over the next decade. The state now has no plans for new transit projects after the Purple Line in the Washington, D.C. suburbs is completed. (Baltimore Sun)
- The California labor bill aimed at helping “gig workers” like Uber and Lyft drivers is on the verge of passing. (New York Times)
- Too many cycling deaths — primarily in the black community — go unnoticed, and New Orleans can do more to protect people on bikes. (Grist)
- The local DOT is studying extending the D.C. streetcar two miles to the east (Curbed). With Kansas City also extending its streetcar line, should Cincinnati consider following suit? (WCPO) Seattle is going the opposite way, canceling a $52 million contract to buy new streetcars (MyNorthwest)
- DUIs have dropped in Austin since Uber and Lyft came to town, but it’s unclear how much ride-hailing services have to do with the decline. (KUT)
- Wichita is well behind peer cities like Omaha, Oklahoma City and Tulsa in transit spending. (Eagle)
- Atlanta is putting another $2.7 million into improving MLK Drive, one of its most harrowing streets. (Curbed)
- Privacy concerns have Toronto residents souring on Google’s “smart neighborhood,” Quayside, which will feature tunnels for delivery vehicles and heated LED-lit sidewalks, but also collect lots of data. (Fast Company)
- With ride-hailing, e-scooters and driverless vehicles all promising to transform transportation, a ride on a coal-powered locomotive in Nevada is a reminder of when railroads really did change everything. (City Lab)
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