Thursday’s Headlines Are Politics-Free
Just some useful info about equity in transit, the dangers of ever-growing vehicles and what's going on in various cities.
By
Blake Aued
12:01 AM EDT on October 21, 2021
- While suburban commuter trains run empty during the pandemic, transit agencies are finally refocusing on their highest-ridership routes, which are not coincidentally used mostly by people of color and have often been the most underfunded. (Grist)
- Human Transit‘s Jarrett Walker debates another transportation expert on whether access to jobs or ridership predictions should be the top priority of transit agencies.
- American drivers are buying bigger and bigger vehicles that kill more and more people (Urban Wire). Convincing people to buy smaller and smaller vehicles that still meet most of their needs is key (Public Square).
- The D.C. Metro says subways will be on reduced service at least through the weekend as an investigation continues into a derailment that forced the transit agency to pull about half its cars off the tracks. (The Hill)
- Austin is fighting for transportation equity on two fronts: for a $7 billion transit plan and against the state’s plans to widen I-35 to 20 lanes. (Slate)
- The new bus rapid transit G Line will connect some of Seattle’s densest neighborhoods (Intelligent Transport). And it looks like the Center City Streetcar is going back on ice after Mayor Jenny Durkin recommended it in her 2022 budget (The Urbanist)
- As Atlanta prepares to elect a new mayor, light rail on the BeltLine is literally the third rail of city politics and may never fulfill its promise. (Saporta Report)
- Ann Arbor has hired a consultant to make a Vision Zero plan that includes reducing traffic speeds (MLive).
- It’s nice that customers pitched in to buy a 60-year-old Virginia fast-food worker a car (WUSA), but wouldn’t it be nicer if she had access to a reliable transit system?
- A former prison bus is now an art exhibition/community center in Brooklyn. (Next City)
- Now you can download and 3D print a carbon-friendly wooden bike. (Fast Company)
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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