Wednesday’s Headlines to Serve You Better
- The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee has a $300-billion agreement on transportation infrastructure that does include some money for the Biden administration's priorities, like climate change and equity, but is just a fraction of the White House plan (Washington Post). According to Transportation for America, it plugs a few holes but leaves the leaky bucket intact. But it probably doesn't matter either way — the higher-level bipartisan talks are on the verge of collapse (Politico).
- Transit can do so much more than shuttle people to and from work, and the American Jobs Plan is a chance to make it happen. (Fast Company)
- Uber's offer of free rides to get vaccinated isn't exactly altruistic — it's a chance to reach new customers and a PR boon in the wake of all the bad publicity from its efforts to crush drivers' labor rights. (Quartz)
- Streetsblog got a shoutout in a Governing article about the dangers of widening rural highways. Specifically, Eve Kessler called out New York Sen. Chuck Schumer for supporting the Route 17 "boondoggle" in upstate New York.
- So, Ars Technica, if electric vehicles "pose a problem for building roads," why don't we just, you know, stop building roads?
- A New York state senate bill would rate vehicles on bike and pedestrian safety, which sounds like a great idea in an age of ever-taller and heaver trucks and SUVs. (City Lab)
- Florida famously rejected federal funding for high-speed rail during the Obama administration, but is getting a second chance under President Biden. (Tampa Bay Times)
- The Florida Times-Union comes out in favor of a Jacksonville gas-tax hike to pay for mainly transit and bike/pedestrian projects.
- Denver cyclists took part in a critical mass ride to draw attention to drivers killing three people on bikes last week. (The Denver Channel)
- Hope your house doesn't catch fire in Roanoke, where firefighters are pleading with drivers to quit parking in front of fire hydrants. (WFXR)
- Uber riders in Austin are the most likely of any city to leave something in their ride — unsurprisingly, most often on Friday or Saturday nights. Some unusual items include 22 bundt cakes, a tattoo machine and a portrait of Kate Middleton. (KXAN)
Stay in touch
Sign up for our free newsletter
More from Streetsblog USA
‘Duped’: Blowing the Whistle on an Illegal Temporary License Plate Business
Temporary license plates exist so that people who buy cars can drive them before receiving metal plates. But drivers found another use for them during the pandemic: buy a temp tag on the black market and you can keep your car anonymous and off the books.
Another Cyclist Attacked in Oakland
A passing car’s passenger assaulted cyclist David Colburn on Wednesday while he was riding his bike on San Pablo in Oakland. The passenger “…leaned out a window to intentionally smack me in the head.”
How Auto-Centric Infrastructure is Making Us Sick
Instead of endless promises to fix America's "crumbling roads and bridges," filmmaker Andy Boenau argues we need to talk about our crumbling minds and bodies — and how our autocentric infrastructure approach contributes to them.
Talking Headways Podcast: Undoing Autocentric Design in a Michigan City
A Michigan city tries to undo the mistakes of the past. It's hard.
