Friday’s Headlines From Across the Nation (and the Pond)

  • Cities, states and transit agencies are rushing to finish infrastructure projects while people are traveling less during the pandemic, but they’re bumping up against COVID-related budget crunches, too. (New York Times)
  • “Squad” member Rep. Ayanna Pressley wants transit to be free because she sees access to reliable, affordable transportation as being at the center of the fight for equity and social justice. (Curbed)
  • Officials are starting to recognize the link between transportation policy and racism. (Green Biz)
  • Flexible permitting, engaging with residents and an emphasis on equity can help cities improve mobility. (Urban Institute)
  • Green bike lanes send a strong message that streets aren’t just for cars. (Greater Greater Washington)
  • Without more federal aid, the New York City transit system — the largest in the U.S. — could lose up to half its service. (Streetsblog)
  • Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has started a new Office of Future Mobility and Electrification that sounds like it will focus on EVs and self-driving vehicles (Intelligent Transport). Cool, but how about starting with proven technologies like regional buses and intercity rail instead?
  • The Washington DOT is temporarily reallocating state highway lanes for walkers and bikers to maintain social distancing. (Bike Portland)
  • Austin’s Vision Zero program will make improvements to 13 road segments where injuries are common. (American-Statesman)
  • Hate-read of the day: A cranky Post and Courier columnist blames everyone but drivers for the fact that Charleston’s streets are so dangerous.
  • Germany’s first “bicycle zone” in Bremen applies the rules and design of a street for bikes to an entire neighborhood. (Euro Cities)
  • Paris City Hall is fighting the French government’s plans to redevelop the 150-year-old Gare du Nord train station. (The Guardian)

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Feds Propose to Expand Opportunities for Biking and Walking to Transit

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Suburban Poverty and the Transit Connection

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Today on the Streetsblog Network, Yonah Freemark of The Transport Politic looks at the new Brookings Institution report on suburban poverty levels and the connection to future transportation planning in those regions. Freemark, who recently wrote about how the city of Paris is extending its transit infrastructure to its traditionally lower-income suburbs, points out that […]
Photo: Bradlee9119 via Flickr

Needed: A Federal Program to Boost Transit Service

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Editor’s note: This article originally appeared on Transit Center and is republished with permission.  On March 13, 2020, at the onset of the pandemic, the Federal Transit Administration responded to the emergency by enabling transit agencies to spend federal funds to run buses and trains. It was a break with longstanding policy. Normally, federal grants are reserved […]