Streetsblog

Thursday’s Headlines Are Intercontinental

Dems want to fund bike commuting and cut carbon. Plus, the TGV turns 40, Berlin bike lanes and air taxis over Brazil.

By Blake Aued

12:01 AM EDT on September 23, 2021

The feds have never done much to encourage cycle, but that could soon change: House Democrats want to expand a commuter benefits program to allow workers to set aside money tax-free for bikes. (Slate)
The $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill includes $4 billion for transportation carbon reduction, which could be used for complete streets or removing freeways. (Smart Cities Dive)
President Biden met with congressional Democrats to try to break through a standoff between moderates and progressives on the reconciliation bill and the bipartisan infrastructure bill. (Politico)
The Federal Transit Administration awarded $250 million in COVID relief funds to Miami-Dade and $216 million to the Pittsburgh Port Authority. (Mass Transit Mag)
The Wendy’s that gave Washington, D.C.’s notorious Dave Thomas Circle its nickname has closed to make way for a $35 million makeover of the dangerous intersection. (Post)
After announcing a rebranding effort last week, Philadelphia transit agency SEPTA is asking riders for feedback on service changes. (Billy Penn)
Austin is using a $1 million grant to build a “mobility hub” bringing together transit, bike-share and e-scooters in an under-resourced neighborhood surrounded by highways. (Fox 7)
Albuquerque will try out fare-fee buses next year. (Journal)
Dayton is cutting transit routes due to a lack of drivers. (Governing)
France’s TGV high-speed rail network is 40 years old (La Croix). The country is about the size of Texas, so why can’t at least parts of the U.S., like California and the East Coast, have nice things?
The UK is phasing out gas-powered vehicles, and a road-pricing system could both replace gas taxes and help cut emissions. (The Conversation)
The Berlin Senate wants to build more bike lanes and be like Amsterdam. (Spectator)
Lots of cities have ring roads, but Rome might be the first to build one for bikes. (Eltis)
Hundreds of flying taxis will soon be overhead in Sao Paulo, where the super-rich have long used helicopters to avoid the poverty and congestion below. (The Guardian)

Blake Aued

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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