Monday’s Headlines Vote for Transit

The presidential race isn't the only thing on the ballot Nov. 5. Tens of millions of voters will also decide on various local tax proposals to fund transit, too.

By Blake Aued

12:40 AM EDT on October 28, 2024

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

Referendums to raise a total of more than $50 billion for transit, bike and pedestrian projects are on the ballot in at least 21 cities, counties and states, including metro Atlanta, San Francisco, San Diego, the Phoenix area, Nashville, Charleston, Seattle and Columbus, Ohio. (Smart Cities Dive)
Lyft agreed to pay a $2.1 million fine to settle federal charges that it misled drivers about how much money they could make on the app. (Reuters)
Los Angeles has a $3.3 billion wish list of transit projects for a car-free Olympics, but only 5 percent is funded let alone built. (Governing)
Why is New York City forcing developers to build costly underground parking for apartment buildings that are a block away from multiple subway stations? (NY Times)
WSMV breaks down the Nashville transit referendum.
Indianapolis' new Vision Zero task force met last week for the first time. (WTHR)
Drivers killed 36 people in Knoxville last year, mostly on high-speed state highways in commercial areas. (WBIR)
Philadelphia strengthened penalties for drivers who block bike lanes. (NBC 10)
A majority of Illinois residents support merging Chicago's four transit agencies. (WBEZ)
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey announced $30 million funding to make public transit free statewide (WWLP), part of a $1 billion transportation package (NBC Boston)
Seattle cops routinely speed, even when they're not responding to emergencies. (PubliCola)
A Detroit activist questions why the QLine streetcar, which serves mainly white commuters and visitors to downtown, is subsidized while Black city-dwellers struggle with unreliable transit. (Metro Times)
Rochester received a $92 million federal grant for bus rapid transit. (Post Bulletin)
Ten years ago California legalized protected bike lanes, a game changer for cyclists. (CalBikes)