- Predictably, dense, walkable cities like New York and San Francisco are the “greenest” in the U.S., while sprawling metro areas like Atlanta and Houston are among the dirtiest. Surprisingly, though, some smaller cities like Des Moines ranked high on Streetlight Data’s Transportation Climate Impact Index because, even though they have little to no transit, people don’t drive much anyway. (Fast Company)
- Nashville voters rejected a transit plan in 2018 because the city didn’t meaningfully engage residents in the planning process or leave proponents enough time to campaign, and African-Americans concerned about gentrification joined forces with seniors and tax opponents, according to a new Transit Center report. Cities with transit referendums in 2020, like Cincinnati, San Antonio and Austin, can learn from Music City’s mistakes.
- Curbed takes a deep dive into what Orlando — the nation’s most dangerous city for walking — is doing to make its streets safer.
- Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker is proposing raising fees on Uber and Lyft rides from 20 cents to $1, which would raise $73 million for transit. Baker recently pledged to increase the MBTA’s budget by $135 million this year. (Boston Globe)
- Baltimore missed out on collecting $2.1 million from a tax on Uber and Lyft rides. (Sun)
- The Federal Transit Administration awarded Seattle’s Sound Transit $790 million for the Federal Way light rail extension. (Kent Reporter)
- The Dallas city council sent Silver Line plans back to the drawing board because members objected to elevating part of the track. (Observer)
- Shelby County commissioners can’t agree on how to raise funding for Memphis transit and kicked the can to an ad hoc committee. (Daily Memphian)
- Washington, D.C. has scrapped plans to extend a streetcar line to Georgetown. (WTOP)
- LeBron James and Lyft are offering free bike-share memberships to teens from low-income families, starting in New York, then in Chicago and the Bay Area (CNBC). StreetsblogNYC also caught up with the King, who called for more bike lanes and reminisced about biking as a kid in Akron.
- City of Bikes: Running for re-election in March, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo is doubling down on separated bike paths and banning cars from major streets (City Lab), Paris is also dealing with delivery truck congestion — a common urban problem these days — by building “logistics hotels,” mixed-use buildings in residential neighborhoods that serve as distribution hubs. Warehouses, gas stations and parking garages are targets for such developments (Wired).
- The World Economic Forum in Davos is encouraging attendees to use a slightly less polluting fuel blend in their private jets. Let them use cake instead! (Bloomberg)
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By Blake Aued
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