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Friday’s Headlines From Around the Nation and Beyond

12:01 AM EDT on June 19, 2020

    • News that President Trump — for the zillionth time — is getting ready to drop a $1 trillion infrastructure bill caught Senate Republicans by surprise. As with House Democrats’ attempts at funding infrastructure as economic stimulus, GOP senators say it’s too expensive. (The Hill)
    • More funding for transit is needed, though. Even if the HEROES Act passes, combined with $25 billion from the previous CARES Act, large transit agencies will run out of money in less than a year. (Transit Center)
    • During the pandemic, many former transit users have come to view cars as the ultimate personal protective equipment. Those could have disastrous effects on public health long after COVID-19 fades. (Medium)
    • E-scooter company Bird is launching a new app that gives users audible directions to the safest micromobility route. (Tech Crunch)
    • Lyft says it will transition to 100 percent zero-emissions vehicles by 2030. (The Verge)
    • Mother Jones joins the chorus of voices calling for the repeal of jaywalking laws.
    • As cities like Baltimore defund police, it will free up money that can be spent on transit. (Greater Greater Washington)
    • Fort Worth voters will decide next month whether to reauthorize a half-cent sales tax for police. Transit advocates want to beef up bus and rail service instead. (Star-Telegram)
    • Gwinnett County commissioners approved a Metro Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority expansion plan that includes heavy rail — previously a sticking point. (AJC)
    • Montgomery County, Maryland is looking to turn worn paths and other informal pedestrian shortcuts into actual sidewalks. (Fox 5 DC)
    • Even in the liberal Bay Area, there’s plenty of backlash against Vision Zero and traffic calming. (San Jose Mercury News, part 1 and part 2)
    • Brussels had some of the worst congestion in Europe before coronavirus, but the pandemic and its 40 percent drop in traffic gave officials a chance to rethink auto-centric policies. (City Metric)
    • Calgary is building a $5.5 billion light rail line, the largest infrastructure project in city history. (CBC)

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