Take Thursday’s Headlines Home, Country Roads

Heat Map reports on why rural Americans are resisting electric vehicles, and why it might not matter much for the climate.

By Blake Aued

12:01 AM EDT on March 28, 2024

Photo: Artem Maltes

A U.S. House hearing focused on the challenges facing rural transit agencies when they apply for grants to build infrastructure and convert to zero-emissions buses. (Smart Cities Dive)
City-dwellers are embracing electric vehicles, while rural residents reject them. But whether EVs can take a chunk out of tailpipe emissions really depends on where suburbanites fall. (Heat Map)
More frequent bus service, shorter wait times and clear bus lanes open up access to thousands more jobs for riders, a Washington, D.C. study found. (Urban Institute)
The Francis Scott Key Bridge's destruction is a reminder that it's cheaper — though politically more difficult — to maintain infrastructure than it is to wait for a disaster to rebuild it. (Washington Post)
The people the D.C. Metro's looming fiscal crisis would hurt the most are essential workers with disabilities. (Greater Greater Washington)
Florida is spending hundreds of millions of dollars to fight the effects of climate change, but is putting its head in the sand by stripping all references to the concept from state law. (Grist)
Commonwealth Beacon says state and local governments should come to the rescue of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, which needs $115 billion in investment over the next 15 years.
A complete streets bill is making its way through the St. Louis board of aldermen. (KSDK)
Pittsburgh Regional Transit is spending $150 million to upgrade light rail tracks and stations. (Smart Construction Dive)
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette endorses Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro's transit funding plan.
The state of Michigan is forgiving a $3.5 million Detroit QLine streetcar construction loan in exchange for advertising rights. (Detroit News)
Vancouver, Canada's TransLink is raising property taxes to fund service expansion and reduce overcrowding on transit. (Daily Hive)
A Scottish company is trying to build an all-electric bus network in the U.K. (Tech Crunch)
China is building high-speed rail not only within its own borders, but all over Southeast Asia as part of its "belt and road" initiative. (CNN)
Tokyo is converting an elevated expressway into a High Line-style walking path. (Smart Cities World)