Friday’s Headlines From Around the Nation
Where are people really sheltering in place? And how much is transit ridership really down? Find out by clicking here.
By
Blake Aued
12:01 AM EDT on April 3, 2020
- Transit app data shows that ridership fell 70% over just two weeks in March as coronavirus started shutting down cities. And it may not be done declining. (Washington Post)
- The New York Times used cell-phone data to measure traveling and illustrate where people are sheltering in place, and where they’re not. Spoiler alert: Red states DGAF about sheltering in place.
- Biking is way up during the coronavirus pandemic as people look for ways to safely get around while social distancing, and bike shops are thriving, too. (Forbes)
- Stay-at-home orders have cut California car crashes in half, according to a UC-Davis study. That means 15,000 fewer collisions and 6,000 fewer injuries a month. (Los Angeles Times)
- Oregon transportation officials are allowing the Rose Quarter I-5 widening project through Portland to move forward, ruling Thursday that it doesn’t need further environmental review, over the objections of green and neighborhood groups. (Oregonian)
- Wired profiles San Francisco transportation chief Jeffrey Tumlin, who thinks cars screw up cities and wants them out.
- Virginia’s new Passenger Rail Authority has the potential to revolutionize transit in the state by owning and managing an expanding network of passenger rail lines shielded from the influence of politics and corporations. (Greater Greater Washington)
- The car-centric Atlanta suburb of Gwinnett County has less than a week to finalize a transit plan if it wants to put joining the Metro Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority on the ballot this November. (Curbed)
- A Florida judge has ruled against plans to extend a state highway through wetlands in Miami-Dade, citing its “meager” effect on congestion and lack of proof that the project won’t hinder Everglades restoration (Miami Herald). Meanwhile, a new express bus on State Route 836 really will provide traffic relief (CBS Miami).
- In Seattle, transit remains a lifeline for essential workers who don’t have cars. (Seattle Times)
- Proposed toll hikes on the Atlantic City Expressway would help pay for light rail. (Press of Atlantic City)
- On your left! Here are the rules for maintaining a safe distance on crowded sidewalks in the COVID-19 era. (Treehugger)
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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