Friday’s Headlines Wish You Happy Holidays
The culture war is coming to transportation. Will red states ruin efforts to combat climate change by spending infrastructure grants on more roads?
By
Blake Aued
12:00 AM EST on December 24, 2021
- Even with funding for electric vehicles and transit, the bipartisan infrastructure law could actually cause carbon emissions to rise if states use the money to widen highways. (E&E News)
- Transportation was once a wonky field, but the culture wars are starting to seep in as Democrats increasingly oppose highways and support alternatives to driving, and Republicans vice versa. (Governing)
- The argument against congestion pricing from the left is that it hits low-income drivers the hardest, but equity issues can be addressed by investing the revenue in transit. (Greater Greater Washington)
- Bus rapid transit is becoming a popular alternative to light rail because it’s cheaper and easier to plan while also being faster than ordinary buses. (Mass Transit)
- Nineteen people have been accused of running a scam where they sold stolen identities to thousands of ride-share drivers so they could avoid background checks. (Market Watch)
- A Massachusetts district attorney is looking into charges of fraudulent signatures on petitions to get a Prop 22-style law for Uber and Lyft on the ballot. (Boston Globe)
- Incoming Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson released a plan to combat reckless driving. (Record)
- Supply chain issues related to COVID have pushed back the opening of Tempe’s streetcar. (ABC 15)
- Baltimore’s transit agency is transitioning to a zero-emissions bus fleet. (Fishbowl)
- Here’s how Houston could use its federal infrastructure dollars. (Chronicle; subscription required)
- The Pittsburgh Port Authority is installing air purifiers on buses and trains. (City Paper)
- Tesla CEO Elon Musk claims to live in a $50,000 tiny house, but really he lives in a friend’s $12-million Austin mansion. (Jalopnik)
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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