Monday’s Headlines to Get You Going

By Blake Aued

12:01 AM EST on January 25, 2021

Pete Buttigieg aced a Senate committee on his nomination for transportation secretary (Politico), putting greenhouse gas emissions front and center (Florida Phoenix) and called for a national Complete Streets policy (Smart Cities Dive). His office did walk back a statement about a gas tax hike being on the table (Roll Call), but Jalopnik says he should have gone there. Streetsblog was mostly impressed.
Meanwhile, President Biden continues to fill out his Department of Transportation. (Transport Topics)
He also signed an executive order requiring masks on interstate planes, trains and buses. (The Hill)
Biden's corporate allies are looking at ways to pay for his $2-trillion infrastructure plan, including a carbon tax. (CNBC)
Automakers are adding more self-driving features to cars, but they can only operate in areas like freeways where there are no surprises, like pedestrians. Truly autonomous vehicles are still decades away. (CNN)
Lyft's "priority mode" offering more fares in exchange for a pay cut is the company's latest way of ripping off drivers. (Mashable)
The Florida DOT is moving forward with a long-awaited SunRail extension. (News 13)
A Virginia bike-safety bill would require drivers to change lanes to pass cyclists and let cyclists ride two-abreast and treat stop signs like yield signs. (NBC 12)
The Tampa Bay Times has new details on plans for bus rapid transit in Tampa, but the project is still a decade away.
The Atlanta suburb of Sandy Springs is adding bike lanes and multi-use paths to three new bridges over the Georgia 400 expressway, which is getting a BRT line. (AJC)
Las Vegas bike advocates are pushing to redesign roads and educate drivers after a truck driver killed five cyclists in December. (KNPR)
Philadelphia is finally fixing a dangerous stretch of 34th Street that had 105 crashes last year. (WHYY)
The Utah Transit Authority has decided to replace a planned light rail line with much cheaper bus rapid transit. (Salt Lake Tribune)
The Amarillo Globe-News endorses more walking and biking options.
An Italian collective of anarchist artists and designers foresaw Saudi Arabia's 100-mile "linear city" more than 50 years ago. (The Guardian)

Blake Aued

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