Tuesday’s Headlines From Around the Nation
Coronavirus continues to wreak havoc on transit agencies, while the Trump Administration uses it as an excuse to allow more pollution. Click here to read more.
By
Blake Aued
12:01 AM EDT on March 31, 2020
- President Trump is expected to issue an order today rolling back Obama-era mileage standards, undercutting the previous administration’s biggest effort to curb climate change, as well as automakers that are already pivoting to electric vehicles. (Associated Press)
- Streetsblog Chicago has a database of cities that are repurposing streets for bikes and pedestrians during the global pandemic. One such city is Portland, which recently forbid cars from streets running through parks (KATU).
- Uber and Lyft are not granting paid medical leave to drivers who are immunosuppressed or otherwise especially vulnerable to COVID-19 — just those who’ve tested positive or been ordered into quarantine. (CNN)
- GM is repurposing two automotive plants in Michigan and Indiana to manufacture masks and ventilators. (CNBC)
- Bike-share company Wheels is introducing pedal-less e-bikes with self-cleaning handlebars and brake levers. (Tech Crunch)
- Ridership on the NYC subway is down to less than 1 million per day from 5 million before the coronavirus hit. But in low-income neighborhoods, people who can’t afford to miss work are still braving public transit. (NY Times)
- The head of Bay Area Rapid Transit says federal stimulus funds will help the agency keep running when reserve funds run out. It’s seen a 90 percent drop in ridership during the coronavirus pandemic (San Francisco Examiner). Muni light rail shut down Monday, with buses running routes instead (SF Chronicle). But shouldn’t the government just fund transit properly to begin with, so agencies don’t need a “bailout”? (Streetsblog SF)
- Detroit’s QLine streetcar (Metro Times), El Paso buses (Times) and trolleys in St. Petersburg and Clearwater (Tampa Bay Times) have reduced service due to coronavirus.
- Milwaukee County has suspended bus fares to avoid interactions between riders and drivers (Fox 6 Now). So has New Orleans (Times-Picayune)
- Pittsburgh transit advocates made a graphic novel about the city’s ideal future for transit, such as easier-to-load payment cards and frequency so high that no one needs schedules. (City Paper)
Blake Aued has been doing Streetsblog's daily national news digest for years. He's also an Atlanta Braves fan, which enrages his editor in New York.
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