Monday’s Headlines Are Ready for Departure

12:01 AM EDT on August 16, 2021

The alarming new UN climate report underscores the need for cities to take back streets from cars and get more people on transit and bikes. (Smart Cities Dive)
Urban areas are growing faster than rural ones, according to recently released U.S. Census data, which will be used to distribute transportation funding, among other things. (USA Today)
The infrastructure bill includes transit funding, but local officials still have to figure out ways to spend it that will attract riders, such as bus-only lanes and going fare-free. (Governing)
Rail advocates say the infrastructure bill falls far short of the hundreds of billions of dollars needed to upgraded existing Amtrak lines and build a high-speed rail network. (The Hill)
More from The Hill: Increasing the gas tax is better than implementing a vehicle-miles driven tax for reducing pollution and traffic deaths because the gas tax discourages driving and encourages fuel-efficient vehicles.
Sadly, rumors that President Biden included a VMT in the infrastructure bill in order to make driving obsolete have been ruled false by PolitiFact.
Financial analysts are forecasting growth in the market for cargo bikes as courier companies buy more. (Cycling Industry News)
Everyone knows cars pose a threat to pedestrians, but so do e-scooters. (Medium)
The $1 billion in the infrastructure bill for tearing down urban freeways like I-345 in Dallas is likely to be doled out in small chunks with limited impact. (D Magazine)
The Texas DOT's latest plans for widening I-35 through Austin ignore calls to turn the freeway into a six-lane boulevard lined with bike lanes and parks, or put a cap on it instead. (KUT)
Recent changes to Muni bus routes in San Francisco increased access to jobs. (Mass Transit Mag)
Detroit's QLine streetcar will start running again next month and be fare-free for the rest of the year, thanks to CARES Act funds. (Detroit News)
The New York Times examines all the different jingles announced subway doors are closing around the world.

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