Tuesday’s Headlines Triple the Fun

Amtrak is staffing up and ready to spend the $66 billion it received from the bipartisan federal infrastructure law.

By Blake Aued

12:01 AM EDT on September 26, 2023

Amtrak

Thanks to the 2021 infrastructure law, Amtrak is tripling capital spending to $6 billion a year by 2025, with the goal of doubling ridership by 2040. (Smart Cities Dive)
The CEO of self-driving carmaker Cruise wants to ban human drivers from city centers (Tech Crunch). But are computer-driven cars that can be bewildered by traffic cones really any safer?
The UK's Conservative government is backtracking on plans to ban sales of new carbon-emitting vehicles by 2030, and automakers that have already committed to the EV transition aren't happy about it. (Jalopnik)
Arch Daily has global examples of how parking garages can be repurposed as public spaces.
Will remote work kill off the Bay Area Rapid Transit system? (The Guardian)
As D.C. workers increasingly start commuting again, they're doing so disproportionately by car, although Metro ridership is slowly rebounding. (Washington Post)
L.A.'s unfinished Marina Freeway could be converted to greenspace. (Los Angeles Times)
California Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill requiring human backup drivers in autonomous heavy-duty trucks. (The Verge)
A Houston study found that simply planting trees near bus stops keeps them cooler than building shelters. (Texas Standard)
Seattle's new electric bike-lane sweeper is the start of an effort to electrify the entire city fleet. (Seattle Times)
A zig-zag sidewalk in Salt Lake City is intended to be safer for pedestrians but is baffling residents. (Fox 13)
Atlanta's car-free Streets Alive festival is back after a four-year hiatus. (Axios)