Streetsblog

Monday’s Headlines Have a Fistful of Stories

A few stories more on the climate change bill, that is — the good (lower emissions), the bad (nothing for transit) and the ugly (dollars for fossil fuels).

By Blake Aued

12:00 AM EDT on August 1, 2022

Monday’s Headlines Have a Fistful of Stories

The New York Times has a breakdown of exactly what’s in Senate Democrats’ climate change — er, inflation — bill.
More on the bill: It provides billions to decarbonize power plants and promote EVs, but little for transit or bikes (Streetsblog USA). Transit advocates say it will encourage more people to buy cars (Politico), while environmental groups don’t like that it opens up more areas for oil and gas drilling (Inside Climate News). Whatever the methods, it looks like the bill really would cut greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent of 2005 levels in eight years (The Atlantic).
Noted bike enthusiast LeBron James is investing $30 million in a German bike company. (Bicycle Retailer)
Washington, D.C. is considering legislation that would eliminate right turns on red for cars but let cyclists treat traffic lights like yield signs. (WaPost)
After recent runaway train incidents, the Federal Transit Administration has ordered Boston’s transit agency to retrain all workers who work on trains. (CBS News)
In Pittsburgh, bus ridership is recovering, but commuter rail ridership remains down. (Post-Gazette)
The Buffalo News editorial board calls for safer road design in response to a rash of pedestrian deaths.
St. Louis officials estimate that last week’s flash floods caused $20 million worth of damage to the MetroLink light rail system. (Progressive Railroading)
Two Make-a-Wish cyclists were killed in Michigan by a driver suspected of DUI. (NY Daily News)
Portland bike-share Biketown and transportation nonprofit The Street Team are partnering to give free passes to low-income residents. (Bike Portland)
Richmond is the latest city to hold a contest to name its bike-lane sweeper. Among the options are Bike Dyson, Meryl Sweep and, of course, Sweepy McSweeperson. (Times-Dispatch)

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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