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Wednesday’s Headlines to Keep the Good Times Rolling

12:31 AM EDT on March 31, 2021

    • The Washington Post reports on the usual handwringing among Democrats as they wonder if President Biden will go to far or not far enough on infrastructure. One noteworthy tidbit: The plan set to be released this evening won’t include Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s bill allocating $500 billion for clean transit.
    • Still, Vox says it also doubles as a climate plan, and looks at various infrastructure bills that could be included in the final version.
    • How money for infrastructure is spent matters more than how much is spent. (Transportation for America)
    • Never mind, the infrastructure bill won’t include a vehicle mileage tax after all (The Hill) — but it probably should! (Streetsblog)
    • In addition to Build Back Better, thanks to previous federal COVID-19 bills, states now have budget surpluses to tackle their own infrastructure backlogs. (Pew Trust)
    • Uber and Lyft promised to reduce traffic and promote transit use, but instead they did the opposite. (New York Times)
    • Also from the Times: Employees who’d been deducting transit costs from their paychecks tax-free are unable to access the funds now that they work from home.
    • The lack of a standardized charging network is a major roadblock to transitioning to electric vehicles. (Vice)
    • Better data could help transit agencies improve service for low-income riders, the elderly, women and other marginalized communities. (World Economic Forum)
    • The Federal Highway Administration is investigating the Texas DOT’s proposed widening of I-45 in Houston — which would destroy hundreds of Black residences and businesses — for potential Civil Rights Act violations (Texas Observer). Up the road in Austin, the city council is hoping to mitigate damage from a proposed I-35 project (Monitor).
    • The FHWA also gave New York State permission to move ahead with its environmental review of congestion pricing, something the Trump Administration had blocked for no reason. (Streetsblog)
    • Northwest Arkansas residents spend a higher share of their income on housing and transportation costs than New York City or Chicago residents because of sprawl and the high cost of driving. (Democrat-Gazette)
    • Cities outside Savannah are opposed to expanding Chatham Area Transit because they don’t want to pay for it, and due to unfounded concerns about crime. (Morning News)
    • Bird is bring 300 e-scooters to Topeka on April 1. (Capital-Journal)
    • A program called BikeMatchDC has provided bikes for 200 essential workers since the pandemic began. (Greater Greater Washington)

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