Friday’s Headlines Are Many and Varied

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• The White House’s agreement with Uber and Lyft to fund trips to get vaccinated is drawing new scrutiny to his administration’s relationships with the ride-hailing giants. (ABC News)
• Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is reviving an Obama-era program encouraging local hiring for infrastructure projects that was reversed by the Trump administration. (Fortune)
• House Republicans’ $400 billion alternative to Biden’s infrastructure proposal would only fund surface transportation at $100 billion above current levels and doesn’t include money for transit. (CNBC)
• More than 25,000 people have commented on the new Manual for Uniform Traffic Control Devices urging the Federal Highway Administration to make rules for street design that are safer for people who aren’t driving. (NACTO)
• History shows that people should be skeptical of new transportation technologies like flying cars, but those with the money usually make the rules. (City Lab)
• The UK government is taking a step toward re-nationalizing rail by establishing a new agency that will set ticket prices and timetables. (BBC)
• The Colorado DOT still thinks it can somehow not only pave its way out of congestion, but pave its way out of climate change. (CPR)
• Three U.S. representatives from Georgia and Florida introduced a bill making it easier for smaller bus rapid transit and express lane projects to win federal funding. (Atlanta Voice)
• Austin is charting new territory by considering displacement of minority communities when it expands transit. (Chronicle)
• $40 million for fare-free transit is included in a Virginia transportation funding package. (WTOP)
• The Charlotte Area Transit System can’t test a new streetcar because drivers keep parking in the tracks. (WSOC)
• The head of the Maryland Transit Administration is headed to Vancouver. (Baltimore Sun)
• A suspected drunk driver killed champion cyclist Gwen Inglis while she was riding in a bike lane in Colorado. (Cycling News)
• Arlington, Virginia, approved a Vision Zero plan. (Greater Greater Washington)
• The Stranger reviews Seattle’s new train cars.
• A college football writer reveals the real reason Ford’s new electric F-150 still has a ginormous hood. (Twitter)