Wednesday’s Headlines Will Melt Your Face
U.S. infrastructure is both too expensive and not up to the task of handling climate-change extremes like the Pacific Northwest heat wave.
By
Blake Aued
12:01 AM EDT on June 30, 2021
- The U.S. is the sixth-most expensive country in the world to build infrastructure in, and the five countries ahead of it all tunnel most of their projects, which adds to the cost. There are a lot of reasons for this, two of which are understaffed agencies and NIMBYs delaying projects. (Vox)
- The Federal Transit Administration announced 49 grants totaling $182 million for low- and no-emissions buses. (Green Car Congress)
- Women often avoid walking because they fear being sexually assaulted on the street. (Streetsblog USA)
- Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer both want to fast-track the Gateway Program, a new rail tunnel underneath the Hudson River. (Politico)
- The Pacific Northwest heat wave has shown that we’re not building our infrastructure to handle the more extreme climate of the 21st century. (The Atlantic)
- Seattle’s top candidates for mayor all favor reduced fares or fare-free transit. The Seattle Times delves into their specific plans.
- The goal of San Jose’s new mobility plan is to increase walking, biking and transit use from 24 percent of trips to 60 percent by 2040. (American City and County)
- Drivers are killing so many pedestrians in San Antonio that it’s become a public health crisis. (Express-News)
- Houston is adding wider sidewalks, bus shelters and additional lighting to Westheimer Road, the city’s busiest transit corridor. (Houston Public Media)
- The Pittsburgh Port Authority eliminated a 25-cent discount for fare pass users, but also got rid of a $1 transfer fee. (City Paper)
- Rural Virginians can now order transit service via an app, similar to a public version of Uber or Lyft. (Virginia Mercury)
- In Roanoke, pedestrians are disproportionately likely to be injured or killed in traffic crashes. (Roanoke Times)
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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