Wednesday’s Headlines Are Suddenly Unmasked
For better or worse, you don't have to wear a mask on public transportation anymore. But maybe you still should.
By
Blake Aued
12:00 AM EDT on April 20, 2022
- A federal judge in Florida struck down the Biden administration’s mask mandate for commercial flights and public transit, including city buses and trains, which had been extended through May 3 (CNN). If you’re wondering when and how to protect yourself now that the pandemic is a free-for-all, here’s a guide from the New York Times.
- Questions are lingering over whether Amtrak has the ability to wisely spend the massive infusion of $66 billion in funding from Biden’s infrastructure act. Not arguing on Twitter about access to freight lines might be a start. (Roll Call)
- Flying cars are the wave of the future, according to the New York Post, where apparently no one grew up watching “The Jetsons.”
- New America will host an online conversation with Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg this morning.
- Private companies like Brightline, which is building a line between Los Angeles and Las Vegas, have the potential to help the U.S. catch up to other countries on high-speed rail, but first they have to figure out how to peel drivers away from their cars. (Bloomberg)
- Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney has not included matching funds for fare-free transit in his proposed 2023 budget, meaning the city’s much-lauded pilot program could be dead despite backing from the state of Virginia. (Greater Greater Washington)
- Planning has started on a new subway line in San Francisco. (Examiner)
- A long-awaited bike lane in Uptown Charlotte is now complete. (Axios)
- Rural Georgia communities are a proving ground for on-demand transit as a last-mile solution. (Saporta Report)
- Apparently San Diego police are clearing out homeless camps and throwing away perfectly good bikes that may be residents’ only form of transportation. (Biking in LA)
- And the winner for best bus stop in the U.S. is … Portland, Maine! (Streetsblog USA)
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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