Streetsblog

Friday’s Headlines Are Falling Apart

The infrastructure bill(s) were never perfect, but now they might never happen at all. Plus ... oh, who cares.

By Blake Aued

12:01 AM EDT on October 1, 2021

As of this writing, the entire infrastructure package — transit, Amtrak, Complete Streets, highways, warts and all — is in question. Speaker Nancy Pelosi caved to progressives and postponed a House vote on the bipartisan infrastructure bill (Politico), leaving the whole two-bill spending package in disarray, with conservative Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin demanding that Democrats cut their reconciliation bill by an additional $2 trillion (Associated Press) and progressives ridiculing his demands (ABC News). But don’t blame this entirely on Democrats: They didn’t have a lot of help (CNN).
The pandemic has laid bare the role transit plays in equity and sustainability. (Government Technology)
A startup called Via is taking the ride-hailing model and applying it to microtransit. Fares are low, but it’s backed by Shell, and it’s also in line to potentially win federal transit funding. (Forbes)
Next City makes the case that buses should be free, because it’s a public good, and it benefits us all whether we ride it or not.
E-bikes are currently more popular in Europe, but they’re about to start flooding the U.S. market. (Axios)
Private company Fortress is finalizing plans to finance an $8 billion high-speed rail line between Southern California and Las Vegas. (Bloomberg)
Officials in the Milwaukee suburbs are asking the county to provide more transit service to connect jobs and workers, but race remains a hurdle. (WUWM)
Chicago announced plans to install or upgrade 100 miles of bike lanes by the end of next year. (Cities Today,
Austin is halfway toward its goal of building 400 miles of bike lanes by 2025. (Monitor)
San Antonio is installing 28 new mid-block crosswalks. (KSAT)
Hampton Roads Transit is seeking public input on expanded light rail and bus rapid transit in Norfolk. (Virginian-Pilot)
Syracuse has a new bike-share program that also includes e-scooters. (Post-Standard)
Arizona State, Tempe and 3M are partnering to create cooler bus shelters. (The State Press)