Friday’s Headlines From Around the Nation and Beyond
The Trump Administration is making noise again about an infrastructure bill — and it is needed. Click here for more.
By
Blake Aued
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)
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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