Special Features

Friday’s Headlines Are on the Ballot

There's a decent chance you live in a jurisdiction where transit funding is on the ballot this November.

By Blake Aued

1:05 AM EDT on October 11, 2024

Nashville voters will soon decide whether to spend billions on a bus rapid transit network.

State and local ballot measures this November could add a total of $50 billion to transit funding, and such referendums have a high rate of success (Smart Cities Dive). That’s important because most federal funding remains tilted toward driving (Transportation for America).
Humans have to take driver’s tests. Why not autonomous vehicles, too? (Associated Press)
On the other hand, why do so many human jobs require a driver’s license when driving is not part of the job description? (Governing)
Uber and Lyft drivers are banding together nationwide for better pay. (USA Today)
The Atlanta suburb of Cobb County has long resisted transit, but as it approaches 1 million people, maybe a $10 billion referendum to fund 108 miles of bus rapid transit will be different. (Atlanta Civic Circle)
Thirty-five years after a driver killed a Black child riding his bike to school near Durham, the community is still waiting for sidewalks. (Route Fifty)
After weeks of debate, the Dallas city council voted to fully fund the regional transit agency DART. (KERA)
Caltrans is seeking input on whether to remove a freeway stub that ostracized a Black Oakland neighborhood from the rest of the East Bay. (SFGATE)
Philadelphia is planning to add concrete-protected bike lanes to Center City, where the death of a doctor sparked calls for safety improvements. (CBS News)
A Nebraska state senator who’s planning on running for mayor of Omaha is raising objections to the Omaha streetcar. (Nebraska Examiner)
Anchorage is trying to come to grips with its high number of pedestrian deaths. (Alaska Public Media)
In San Francisco, vintage Muni streetcars double as speakeasys (SFGATE), and jazz performers also appear on the Kansas City streetcar in October (Fox 4).

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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