Friday’s Headlines from Everywhere
- Hundreds of transit workers have died of COVID-19, and in addition to health risks, now they face furloughs and layoffs unless Congress approves more emergency funds for transit agencies (American Prospect). Most recently, Denver’s Regional Transportation District announced it will lay off 235 employees to close a $166-million budget gap (Denver Post).
- New transportation recommendations from the left-leaning Center for American Progress include setting aside $8 billion a year in federal highway funds for Amtrak and spending at least 70 percent of highway funds on repairs. (Streetsblog)
- Instead of bailouts, transit agencies need permanent funding sources to reduce their reliance on farebox revenue. (The Next Web)
- Incentives for drivers to buy electric cars won’t be enough for Uber to meet its goal of becoming emissions-free by 2040. (Scientific American)
- Cities must make sure people don’t get back into their cars after the coronavirus pandemic ends. (World Economic Forum)
- The Maryland Transit Administration says it will have to divert funding from other projects to finish the Purple Line if contractors pull out because of a dispute about cost overruns. (Washington Post)
- Drivers are killing and injuring more pedestrians in Raleigh, which has city officials mulling a Vision Zero plan. (News & Observer)
- A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit seeking to block the I-30 widening in Little Rock, allowing the project to move forward. (Engineering News-Record)
- Seattle is finally legalizing e-scooters. (The Stranger)
- Kansas City wins the Battle of the Midwestern Streetcars. (Cincinnati Enquirer)
- Bike Portland tries out the city’s new “family-friendly” greenways.
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