Wednesday’s Headlines
- U.S. mayors identify climate change as an important issue and point to vehicles as a culprit, according to a Boston University survey, but few of them call pedestrian safety a top priority or are willing to tackle the overabundance of cheap parking that’s fueling the problem (City Lab)...
- ...But not in Washington, D.C., where plans to redevelop Union Station call for 1,600 parking spaces — about a third less than what’s currently there. Some officials and activists want to reduce the number even further or eliminate parking altogether. (WaPost)
- Your city’s roads are probably fine; the problem is that people are driving too much. (Strong Towns)
- Gov. Charlie Baker said he'll seek a $135-million budget increase for Massachusetts transit this year, the first time he's admitted publicly that the T needs more funding. He also pushed for an $18-billion transportation bond issue and touted the Transportation Climate Initiative, an interstate compact to fight climate change, during his State of the Commonwealth speech. (Boston Globe)
- Atlanta is considering taking over the responsibility for sidewalk maintenance from property owners, who aren’t doing the job. A report due in March is expected to reveal a billion-dollar backlog of repairs. (Curbed)
- If Memphis transit officials had the $6 million to $8 million needed to go fare-free, they’d rather put the money into improving service. Cutting into the two and a half hours it takes to get across town by bus would do more to boost ridership. (Daily Memphian)
- Further proof that going after fare jumpers isn’t worth the trouble: Denver train stations don’t have turnstiles, but officials say fewer than 2 percent of riders don’t pay. (Colorado Public Radio)
- Salt Lake City residents have strong opinions on e-scooters. (Deseret News)
- Barcelona recently declared a “climate emergency,” along with plans to cut greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030, primarily by improving transit and creating low-emissions zones where polluting vehicles are banned. (El Pais)
- A Cincinnati engineer has an idea for “wingless planes” that, to be honest, just sound more like a monorail or elevated train. (Local 12)
- Talk about self-driving cars: An investor is asking the U.S. DOT to look into claims that Teslas sometimes suddenly accelerate on their own (CNBC). The company denies that this is true, but then, wouldn't you...? (Tech Crunch).
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