Tuesday’s Headlines to Celebrate A Great Tuesday

Don’t forget our December donation drive! Plus all the news:

• “Amtrak Joe” Biden’s well-known love for trains may be the U.S.’s best chance to catch up with the rest of the world on rail, but high construction costs and Republican obstruction could temper his ambitious plans. (City Monitor)
• With biking and walking on the upswing and delivery trucks clogging city streets, President Biden will face new challenges when it comes to infrastructure. Technology will help, and the solutions are comparatively cheap. (Next City)
• Call the irony department! Uber fights any legislation that would define its drivers as employees, but the tech taxi giant wants the CDC to declare those very same drivers essential workers so they’re near the front of line for a COVID-19 vaccine. (CNBC)
• A driver-owned ride-hailing startup is hoping to compete with Uber and Lyft in New York City while paying a living wage. (NPR)
• The Bay Area’s myriad agencies make the transit system confusing and unreliable, but simplifying it will be a heavy lift politically. (San Francisco Examiner)
• The South Phoenix light rail extension won $638 million in federal grants to complete the project. (KTAR)
• Cleveland is full of wide, fast and deadly roads. With limited funding and state control over highways, the city is making slow progress toward Vision Zero. (Cleveland Magazine)
• Mayor John Cranley says Cincinnati will have the most pedestrian-friendly downtown in the Midwest after he makes temporary outdoor dining spaces permanent. (WLWT)
• St. Paul’s 20 miles of new bike infrastructure are the culmination of decades of planning. (MinnPost)
• On-demand transit is spreading to new cities and gaining new riders in Canada. (CBC)
• China will build more than 6,000 miles of passenger rail in the next five years. (Reuters)