Wednesday’s Headlines to Serve You Better
Lots of talk of President Biden's infrastructure bill. Plus all the other news.
By
Blake Aued
1:08 AM EDT on May 26, 2021
- 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)
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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