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Today's Headlines

Wednesday’s Headlines Are for the Children

Climate change is forcing schools to give up their playgrounds when we could be giving up our cars, or at least diesel-powered school buses. Learn more in headlines.

St. Terese students in Seattle held their field say in 35th Avenue. Photo: Seattle Public Space Program

  • Almost 20 million children ride to school each day on diesel buses, which are bad for the environment and for their health. The Biden administration's $5 billion investment in electric buses is a start toward changing that, but not enough. (e360)
  • As the climate grows hotter, schools are planting more trees and created more shaded spaces. Unfortunately, that often involves tearing up paved athletic courts and playgrounds. (Washington Post)
  • Car loans have passed student loans to become the second-highest source of debt in the U.S. (Jalopnik)
  • How walkable is your neighborhood? This interactive map will show you. (Bloomberg)
  • If we're going to have parking lots, might as well put solar panels on top of them. (Clean Technica)
  • St. Louis is investing a remarkable $300 million into street safety, primarily due to the Biden administration's American Rescue Plan, but is it too little, too late? (Streetsblog USA)
  • The Denver city council finalized a $150 annual for most property owners to pay for sidewalk construction and upkeep. (Denverite)
  • New Denver legislation intends to keep gas stations from taking up space that could be occupied by transit-friendly housing. (Colorado Sun)
  • Houston Mayor John Whitmire's antipathy toward bike infrastructure and safety improvements in general seems to have originated with a bureaucratic slight involving his own neighborhood. (Chron)
  • A Baltimore nonprofit is teaching teenagers how to repair bikes. (WYPR)
  • Madrid is looking at trying to reduce traffic and pollution by using its transit system to deliver packages during off-peak hours. (Global Railway Review)
  • Plans have been revealed for a new tram across Cardiff. (BBC)
  • High-speed rail could finally come to Australia in the 2030s. (The Conversation)

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