Tuesday’s Headlines Get Out of the Way

When cities try to discourage driving or make streets safer, their state governments often step in to stop them, Yale Climate Connections reports.

By Blake Aued

12:57 AM EDT on August 27, 2024

The Texas DOT has blocked efforts to put San Antonio’s Broadway Avenue on a road diet.

|Google Maps

From congestion pricing in New York to transit funding in Charlotte to complete streets in San Antonio, state governments often stand in the way of cities trying to cut back on driving or make streets safer. (Yale Climate Connections)
In 1964 President Lyndon Johnson signed a law providing federal funding for transit for the first time. (Mass Transit)
Amtrak is pitching a massive $16 billion expansion of New York City's Penn Station to accommodate more trains when the Gateway project is finished, but there are cheaper alternatives. (Curbed)
Ten years ago, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser pledged to end traffic deaths by 2024. Instead, they rose to 52 last year (and 33 so far this year). (Washington Post)
A regional committee in the Bay Area is working on recommendations for a 2026 transit funding referendum. (San Jose Mercury News)
Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles cowrote an Observer column urging voters to support a half-cent tax for light rail and other transportation projects.
Denver is developing a plan to fix its patchwork network of bikeways. (Westword)
A popular Utah express bus is now charging fares after being free since its inception in 2018. (Salt Lake Tribune)
More than 10,000 new housing units are under construction or completed near four new light rail stations in Seattle's Lynwood neighborhood. (Seattle Times)
Canada is drafting plans for a high-speed rail line connecting Toronto, Ottowa, Montreal and Quebec City. (Newsweek)
Dutch regulators fined Uber for violating EU law by sending personal information on European drivers to the U.S. (Reuters)
Rodbyhavn, Denmark and Puttgarden, Germany are just 11 miles apart, but the journey between them is six hours over land. A new tunnel under the Baltic Sea will cut the trip to seven minutes by train. (The Guardian)