Wednesday’s Headlines From Around the Nation
People want better transit. That and the other stories rocking your world.
By
Blake Aued
12:21 AM EDT on April 8, 2020
- Congestion is down, and so are commute times in major U.S. cities during the coronavirus pandemic, with Los Angeles and Chicago leading the way. (Bloomberg)
- A new poll shows that Americans strongly support better public transit and are willing to pay for it through higher taxes or fees. (State Smart Transportation Initiative)
- People are likely to remain reluctant to use public transit and switch to micro-mobility options like bike-shares instead once the coronavirus pandemic starts to recede. (Next City)
- Curbed made a video of a panel discussion on safe street design that was originally slated for the canceled South by Southwest festival. It features Families for Safe Streets co-founder Amy Cohen, NACTO Executive Director Corinne Kisner and L.A. DOT General Manager Seleta Reynolds.
- Gig workers such as Uber and Lyft drivers are still struggling to get help if they come down with COVID-19. (NPR, CNN)
- Teleworking is here to stay, which will relieve congestion and improve air quality. But if fewer people are driving to work, it also means states will have to find new ways to pay for road maintenance — unless they realize they could simply cut the budget for it. (Minneapolis Star-Tribune)
- The mayor of Hialeah is requiring people to pick up unemployment forms in their cars, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis thinks that’s a good idea. Many people without cars also can’t get tested for coronavirus because the testing sites are drive-through. (Miami Herald)
- New York Magazine — echoing Streetsblog — calls NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio’s erstwhile mini-street-closure program “pathetic” in an epic takedown.
- San Francisco’s Muni is cutting almost all of its bus and light rail lines this week. (Examiner)
- The transit system in Grand Rapids, Mich. has put off plans to lay off 300 employees. (M Live)
- The Supreme Court declined to hear the Catholic Church’s challenge to the D.C. Metro’s ban on religious ads, allowing the policy to remain in place. (The Hill)
- As France’s COVID-19 death toll continues to rise, Paris has banned jogging, because apparently people were unable to go outside without congregating in large groups. (France 24)
- These aerial photos show how freeway construction decimated six U.S. cities. (Visual Capitalist)
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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