Streetsblog

Tuesday’s Headlines with Even More Biden News

The big infrastructure package continues to make headlines, so check out our news digest to get your fill.

By Blake Aued

12:01 AM EDT on April 13, 2021

The American Jobs Plan is a bold vision for tackling challenges of sustainability and inequality. (Brookings)
Former Streetsblog USA Editor Angie Schmitt continues her hot streak with a CNN column arguing that Biden’s infrastructure plan will reduce dependence on cars.
Strong Towns has a more pessimistic view, calling the plan more of the same — a lot more.
Biden could further tackle both affordable housing and transportation by making cities reform their zoning laws if they want infrastructure funding. (New York Times)
Amtrak’s plans to spend $80 billion on new intercity routes doesn’t include any high-speed rail lines (Business Insider). Meanwhile, from inside the Beltway bubble, Matthew Yglesias complains that Amtrak should be focusing on the D.C.-to-Boston corridor instead of the hinterlands (Bloomberg).
Nuria Fernandez, President Biden’s pick for deputy administrator of the Federal Transit Administration, has been nominated to lead the agency. (White House)
Rep. Earl Blumenauer told Williamette Week that Oregon and Washington won’t get federal funding for a new bridge over the Columbia River unless it includes light rail.
A Colorado bill would create a special tax district to fund passenger rail along I-25. (Sun)
An upcoming feasibility study of light rail along the Atlanta Beltline has transit advocates worried that the Metro Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority is backing away from its longstanding commitment to light rail along the 22-mile walking and biking path. (AJC)
Seattle’s Northgate Link light-rail extension is set to open in October. (KING)
A committee in Austin is thinking of ways to prevent gentrification around new transit lines from displacing residents. (KVUE)
A plan for Connecticut Avenue in Washington, D.C. would remove suicide lanes and replace them with bike lanes (Washington Post). It would be a fitting way to honor a cycling advocate who was killed on Friday in the capital (Streetsblog).
Ridership on Philadelphia’s Indego bike-share jumped to 45,000 last month. (Billy Penn)
Twin Cities bike-share Nice Ride is back for the spring season with 2,000 bikes, e-bikes and scooters. (Star Tribune)
San Diego is facing some familiar pushback on plans for new bike lanes. (San Diego Magazine)
Two New Jersey congressmen are big mad about New York City’s congestion pricing plan. If you don’t like it, take the train! (ABC 7)
France is moving to ban short-haul flights where the same trip can be made by train in less than two-and-a-half hours. (BBC)

Blake Aued

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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