Thursday’s Headlines Got a Ticket to Ride
- Transit ridership fell everywhere during the pandemic, but most sharply at stations serving mainly white-collar commuters, as opposed to Black and working-class neighborhoods. (Urban Institute)
- From fare cuts to free sports tickets, transit agencies are trying everything to lure drivers back. (Bloomberg)
- Detroit has one of the worst transit systems of any major U.S. city, and it disproportionately hurts Black residents. (Metromode)
- A Houston city council member tried to walk back his false assertion that bike lanes are bad for drivers, but still insists that the notoriously car-friendly city pays too much attention to cyclists, even though drivers have killed three people on bikes in his district since he took office two years ago. (Chronicle)
- Austin’s Vision Zero policies are reducing serious injuries from car crashes even as such crashes rise nationwide. (Fox 7)
- New Orleans officials say they’re renewing their focus on bike and pedestrian safety after the deadliest year on Big Easy roads since 2004. (WDSU)
- Boston Mayor Michelle Wu extended the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s fare-free pilot project another two months. (CommonWealth)
- Colorado should shift resources away from more pavement and toward mass transit. (Sun)
- The L.A. Metro is offering free rides on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. (Los Angeles Daily News)
- The Milwaukee streetcar is temporarily reducing service hours due to staff COVID exposure. (CBS 58)
- A long-awaited new sidewalk is finally coming to Pittsburgh’s Hazelwood neighborhood. (City Paper)
- Improving Maine’s sparse transit system would help fight climate change. (Maine Public)
- Construction on a pedestrian bridge and tramway over a Gulfport highway will start next year. (WLOX)
- Tucson transit is staying fare-free through June. (Arizona Public Media)
- St. Louis can’t even keep a trolley running these days, but it was once the nation’s premier streetcar city. (Next STL)