Streetsblog

Monday’s Headlines Need More Help

Many transit agencies are facing a fiscal cliff because ridership hasn't rebounded but federal COVID funding is about to run out.

By Blake Aued

12:00 AM EDT on June 27, 2022

Source Creative commons

Federal funding helped transit agencies stay afloat through the early years of the pandemic. But ridership still hasn’t fully recovered — and with the money running out and no more on the way, mass transportation systems are now facing financial catastrophe. (Governing)
As the Biden administration meets with Big Oil to increase production and considers lifting smog restrictions (Reuters), transit advocates are pushing the president to lift transit fares rather than gas taxes (Washington Post).
A gas-tax holiday will help neither drivers nor Democrats. (Politico)
Toyota is recalling some electric crossovers because the wheels might literally fall off. (The Verge)
Cleveland is one of 16 recipients of federal grants to address barriers to transit access in low-income neighborhoods. (WKYC)
Amtrak has committed $12 billion to expanding Penn Station, but it won’t be easy. (New York Times)
A California environmental agency nixed a San Diego proposal to allow denser development without parking in single-family neighborhoods. (Planetizen)
Flying in the face of the trend toward lower (or even free) fares, the Maryland Transit Administration raised Baltimore bus and rail ticket prices by 10 cents. (Patch)
The red bus-only lanes on Chestnut Street in Philadelphia are the first of many to come. (ABC6)
Milwaukee (Fox 6) and Louisville (WDRB) have adopted Vision Zero initiatives.
A new e-bike-share program is set to launch in Boise. (KTVB)
Jim Matthews, the head of the Rail Passengers Association, took a solo cross-country trip on Amtrak at age 8, and he’s been an advocate for passenger rail ever since. (Washington Post)