Tuesday’s Headlines are Awesome
Start your day off right.
By
Blake Aued
8:32 AM EST on March 9, 2021
- Pete Buttigieg gave an interview to Rolling Stone that unfortunately focuses mostly on electric vehicles, but the transportation secretary did say he wants to team up with HUD on transit-oriented development and get rid of a lot of parking lots.
- Cities with the most traffic also tend to have the most roads, which just goes to show, once again, that you can’t pave your way out of congestion. (Arch Daily)
- The federal government is considering changing the definition of an urban area, which could affect small cities’ transit funding. (Associated Press)
- New research by the Oregon DOT found that low-income and BIPOC neighborhoods have more traffic and higher speeds, which, combined with more walking, explains why residents are more likely to be injured or killed by drivers. (Bike Portland)
- We told you last week about a Pennsylvania law giving sidewalk delivery drones the same rights as pedestrians, but at least nine other states and D.C. have similar laws. (Axios)
- Philadelphia is planning to overhaul Ben Franklin Parkway — of “Rocky” fame — to make it friendlier to cyclists and pedestrians. (WHYY)
- Driving in the Washington, D.C. area fell between 2007 and 2017, while more people rode bikes, took transit, walked and used ride-hailing services, according to a survey by regional planners. (Greater Greater Washington)
- The privately owned Brightline received one last extension to work out agreements with state and local governments for a rail line between Orlando and Tampa. (RT&S)
- Austin is staffing up to start work on Vision Zero, sidewalk, bike path and other transportation projects after a $460-million bond referendum last year. (Monitor)
- Seattle has lowered speed limits of 415 miles of roads since December, 2019. (KING)
- Kansas City crews started work replacing pipes for what will eventually be a five-mile streetcar extension. (Fox 4)
- Boulder’s B-Cycle has added 100 e-bikes to the bike-share system. (Camera)
- Cannabis has contributed $12 million in tax revenue to Michigan transit since the state legalized sales in 2018. (Ganjapreneur)
- Mountainous Mexico City has built its first aerial tramway to serve poorer neighborhoods high in the hillsides. (Los Angeles Times)
Blake Aued has been doing Streetsblog's daily national news digest for years. He's also an Atlanta Braves fan, which enrages his editor in New York.
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