Streetsblog

Monday’s Headlines from Around the Country

A big part of a major Chinese city goes car-free. Plus all the other news of the weekend, one click away.

By Blake Aued

12:01 AM EDT on June 15, 2020

The carpocalypse is coming. Cities could see traffic return to pre-COVID-19 levels after just a partial reopening, and hit unprecedented levels of congestion because people returning to work will still be reluctant to ride transit. (Business Insider)
But if cities can maintain even a 10-percent drop in vehicle miles driven, it will have a big impact on the climate. (Smart Cities Dive)
New York City police — long hostile to cyclists — have been targeting people on bikes during the recent demonstrations, perhaps because bikes represent freedom and make it harder for authorities to “dominate the streets.” (New Yorker)
Forbes profiles Brightline owner Wes Edens, who’s betting billions of dollars that Americans will get out of their cars and onto his trains in Florida and on the West Coast.
If Congress approves a stimulus package, it could provide $20 billion to get a bullet train between Houston and Dallas back on track. (D Magazine)
Polling shows that Bay Area voters overwhelmingly favor raising taxes in a progressive, equitable way to improve transit service. (Next City)
Minneapolis lawmakers are requesting $55 million in state funding for two bus rapid transit lines. (Star Tribune)
Maryland will probably owe contractors hundreds of millions of dollars for cost overruns if it wants to finish the Purple Line. (Washington Post)
Commissioners in metro Atlanta’s Gwinnett County are at an impasse over whether to include heavy rail in an upcoming transit referendum. (AJC)
The Austin City Council voted unanimously to lower speed limits to 25 miles per hour on neighborhood and downtown streets, and 30–40 mph on arterials. (Farm & City)
When Lime acquired JUMP, the former scrapped thousands of the latter’s bikes, leading to criticism that they should’ve been donated instead. So when Denver’s bike-share system shut down, Houston’s BCycle managed to acquire the bikes. (Smart Cities Dive)
The fate of Cincinnati’s streetcar — running empty since the pandemic started in March — is on the line during budget talks this summer. (WLWT)
Baltimore has a new Complete Streets manual that prioritizes walking and biking safely over drivers’ convenience. (Greater Great Washington)
Most Europeans want more bike lanes so other people can bike and keep the air clean, but far fewer are willing to do it themselves. (Reuters)
A new district the size of Midtown Manhattan in Shenzhen, China will be car-free. (dezeen)