The nation was embroiled over the weekend in protests against continued police killings of unarmed African Americans, most recently George Floyd, killed last week by a Minneapolis police officer. Streetsblog NYC offered local coverage from New York.
On the national front, the New York Times and NY Daily News offered broad roundups, while Slate framed the story in exactly the right way: "Police Erupt in Violence Nationwide."
In other news:
- President Trump lately has taken to tweeting out routine Federal Transit Administration awards, some in politically important states like Florida and Pennsylvania (City Lab). According to Urban Milwaukee, that city will receive $41 million for bus rapid transit from the Small Starts program — a program he once proposed eliminating.
- The World Bank has a plan for sustainable mobility in the wake of the pandemic, including integrated multi-modal network, cooperation among agencies, shared data, shared streets, transit-oriented development and phasing out fossil fuel subsidies.
- Minneapolis's Metro Transit shut down through the weekend as demonstrations swept through the city. (Star Tribune)
- Advances in battery technology are making flying cars possible, which could magnify the effects of sprawl and inequality by letting elites avoid the congestion below. (Center for American Progress)
- California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration is saving the state transit system millions by cutting consultants and replacing them with state employees. (Sacramento Bee)
- Bay Area Rapid Transit unveiled a 15-point plan for social distancing and disinfecting trains that it hopes will make riders feel safe returning to transit. (SF Gate)
- Houston officials think it could take years for transit ridership to return to pre-COVID-19 levels. (Chronicle)
- Philadelphia’s transit agency is instituting free transfers and cutting children’s fares, but advocates want SEPTA to do more to help riders through trying times. (WHYY)
- Boston is the latest city to close streets to cars to make way for bike lanes and outdoor dining. (WBZ)
- Cincinnati’s Red Bike service is reopen after being shut down for two months to help slow the spread of coronavirus and submitting a plan to keep bikes clean. (City Beat)
- Baton Rouge is planning 100 miles of new bike lanes and 250 miles of off-road paths. (The Advocate)
- Charleston transportation director Keith Benjamin says the Open Streets movement has to find new ways for people to meet in the streets as equals.
- In the latest example of how parking makes people irrational, “Parking Lot Karen” sat on someone's car so her daughter could steal their space. (Insider)
