Tuesday’s Headlines from Across the Land
Good news in a House bill, more mask requirements on transit, and Randal O'Toole up to his old tricks again. All the news is one click away!
By
Blake Aued
12:01 AM EDT on June 30, 2020
- Cities can stop the post-pandemic carpocalypse by reclaiming streets for cyclists and pedestrians, charging drivers who bring in polluting vehicles and taking steps to convince riders that transit is safe (New York Times). A related piece on Streetsblog focuses on keeping newly minted cyclists on their bikes.
- Transit agencies need to refocus on the mainly Black and brown people who rely on their services, for example by defunding transit police and addressing laws that favor drivers over transit riders. (City Lab)
- The INVEST Act — House Democrats’ transportation bill — includes a provision allowing congestion pricing on national highways. (Eno Center)
- Business Insider has another deep dive into how Uber ran bike-share company JUMP into the ground.
- Without a driver to assist disabled passengers, self-driving cars will have to make other accommodations for people with special needs. (Fast Company)
- Amazon is getting into the ride-hailing business, buying a startup called Zoox that’s developing self-driving car technology. (Los Angeles Times)
- The Denver transit workers’ union doesn’t believe it’s safe for RTD to resume front-door boarding (Colorado Politics). In related news, Sacramento (Bee), Kansas City (Star) and Salt Lake City (KSL) are requiring transit riders to wear masks starting this week.
- Suburban roads designed for cars need better crosswalks and sidewalks to make D.C. Metro stations accessible by bike and on foot, according to a new report. (Washington Post)
- Minneapolis transit was hit by a triple whammy of a crime wave, coronavirus and civil unrest. Some are wondering if riders will ever come back. (Star Tribune)
- With traffic picking up again, San Francisco transit agency Muni wants to introduce new bus-only lanes. (KCBS)
- Hate-read of the day: Streetsblog nemesis Randal O’Toole is at it again, urging drivers to take back the streets and blaming other modes of transportation for everything from terrorist attacks to forest fires. (Press-Enterprise)
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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