Streetsblog

Wednesday’s Headlines Are In a Crisis

High gas prices aren't going away. So should we deal with them by cutting taxes a few cents, or by creating a country where people don't have to drive?

By Blake Aued

12:00 AM EDT on March 16, 2022

Image: "http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/fredrik-gertten/bikes-vs-cars-we-are-many"

Less than a year after it passed, the federal infrastructure law is proving to be woefully inadequate at curbing America’s oil addiction. (The American Prospect)
The solution offered by many leaders to high gas prices is a gas-tax holiday. That, however, is a terrible idea, because it would increase profits while offering motorists little relief. As most policymakers recognized all the way back in 2008, the only solution is ending our dependence on fossil fuels. (Vice)
The climate + community project‘s Green New Deal for Transportation calls for electrifying transit and freight delivery, a clean electric grid, increased funding for transit and intercity rail, ending new highway construction, 10,000 miles of protected bike lanes and a new “cash for clunkers” program.
That plan bears resemblance to how Copenhagen became a cycling paradise after the 1973 oil crisis (Fast Company). Meanwhile, Curbed latched onto one aspect: What if the Biden administration just paid people not to drive?
Another report, this one from U.S. PIRG, focuses on the value of electrifying school bus fleets, which can help the entire grid go green by storing clean energy during the many hours they’re not on the road.
Anderson Cooper interviewed Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg about the infrastructure law on “60 Minutes.” (PBS News)
Churches have long relied on ample parking to grow their congregations, but now they’ve amassed so much land that their parking lots have become a barrier between the church and the surrounding community. (Christian Century)
Silicon Valley is replacing outdated auto-centric office parks with pedestrian-friendly campuses. (Fast Company)
The Texas DOT has just now figured out that widening I-35 through Austin would require demolishing a three-year-old affordable housing complex. (KUT)
Atlanta is backtracking on promises for a pedestrian-friendly Peachtree Street. (Urbanize)
Thanks to rising gas prices, bike sales are up 150 percent in Corpus Christi since February. (KIII)
British authorities are warning local governments that road projects won’t be funded if they increase carbon emissions or don’t cater to biking, walking or transit. (Forbes)
New Zealand is cutting transit fares in half to give struggling families an alternative to paying high prices for gas. (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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