Monday’s Headlines
The Transportation Research Board’s 99th Annual Meeting will be held in Washington, D.C. from Jan. 12-16, 2020. Click here for more information.
- The Trump administration wants to repeal a rule requiring federal agencies to consider the impact on climate when reviewing infrastructure projects. The rule once helped stymie a Trump golf course — and protect the environment. (New York Times)
- With SUV sales on the rise and the U.S. once again on the verge of war in the Middle East, Vox has a timely piece chronicling the rise and fall of the Hummer, the early-aughts automotive symbol of militarism and toxic masculinity.
- A former New York City taxi commission staffer urges ride-hailing companies to play nice with cities by not double-parking, right-sizing driver fleets and working with, rather than competing with, public transit. (City Lab)
- In a win for Twin Cities transit advocates, a new express bus line will run from uptown Minneapolis all the way to downtown St. Paul. The B Line is scheduled to start running in 2023. In addition, Metro Transit is facing a shortage of drivers. (Pioneer Press)
- A $225-million bus rapid transit system is the top priority for Pittsburgh Port Authority officials. Work is scheduled to start in 2021, but they’re waiting on word about a $100-million federal grant. (Trib Live)
- Dedicated transit lanes are well and good, but if Atlanta really wants to improve ridership, it needs to make driving and parking more expensive and make the landscape friendlier to pedestrians, Friend of Streetsblog Darin Givens writes on Medium.
- Green Line construction, a station closure, fare gates on commuter rail and bus route changes are coming to Boston in 2020. (Curbed)
- San Diego charges property owners $2,000 for a permit to fix a sidewalk on their own. No wonder the city’s sidewalks are in such poor repair. (Union-Tribune)
- Washington, D.C. will soon start fining drivers who block bike lanes $65. (GW Hatchet)
- A year after a struggle to save light rail in Phoenix ended in victory for transit, the city is hosting community meetings about Valley Metro expansion plans. (KTAR)
- A Honolulu transit official explains why tracking apps aren’t terribly accurate, why buses don’t have WiFi and answers other reader questions. (Civil Beat)
- Construction of separated bike lanes on Richards Street in downtown Vancouver starts today. (Daily Hive)
- They did it (almost)! Oslo nearly achieved Vision Zero last year, when just one person died on its roads, down from 41 in 1975. The Norwegian city has reduced vehicle speeds, built bike lanes and restricted driving in the city center. (Independent)
- In related news, a recent study found that the European Union has the safest roads in the world. The U.S. ranked 33rd out of 40. You'd think people would be upset. (Forbes)
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