Tuesday’s Headlines Are Hotter than July

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  • A bipartisan group of senators have come up with a stimulus package that includes funding for public transit, but it still faces obstacles. (Politico)
  • As transit agencies wait for Congress to pass another coronavirus relief bill, they’re considering other ways to raise revenue, including tacking fees onto online deliveries, ride-hailing taxes and raising gas taxes. (City Lab)
  • Pete Buttigieg is now a leading contender to be Joe Biden’s transportation secretary. Other candidates include former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emmanuel, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and Rhode Island Gov. Raimondo (hey, what about New York City Department of Transportation Commissioner Polly Trottenberg, we can already hear the Streetsblog NYC editor screaming, based of course on Daily News reporting!). Buttigieg is also under consideration for commerce secretary and ambassador to China. (CNN)
  • The Eno Center for Transportation‘s database tracking construction costs for 171 rail projects worldwide shows that tunnels and grade are the main cost drivers, and contrary to conventional wisdom, light rail isn’t always cheaper than heavy.
  • After the passage of Prop 22 in California, unions and other labor-rights groups are gearing up to fight similar battles all over the country. (TechCrunch)
  • A new policy in Northeast Ohio could limit sprawl by putting freeway interchange projects under more scrutiny. (Cleveland Plain Dealer)
  • November’s election results in San Diego bode well for a proposed 30-year, $177-billion transit expansion. (Union-Tribune)
  • Service cuts and privatization at the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority would leave essential workers in the lurch. (CommonWealth)
  • London already has a central congestion zone, but now Mayor Sadiq Khan is considering charging drivers for bringing cars into the entire city. (The Guardian)
  • Montreal’s new 10-year plan for reducing greenhouse gas emissions includes banning non-electric cars from the city center and reducing parking around transit stations. (Gazette)
  • Buenos Aires is the latest city to expand its bike network in the wake of COVID-19. (City Fix)

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Photo: Bradlee9119 via Flickr

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By Ben Fried and Steven Higashide |
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 […]

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By Elana Schor |
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