Friday’s Headlines Look Ahead to January
When Republicans take control in Washington, they will try to slash funding for transit, street safety and infrastructure. But reining in infrastructure spending may not be so bad for the climate.
By
Blake Aued
1:02 AM EST on November 15, 2024
- The Project 25 playbook promised to reverse Biden administration transportation policies, ending support for transit, bike and safety projects while pushing block grants for car-happy states — but Transportation for America’s Beth Osborne argues that “while world’s going to get plenty dark … transportation is not going to suffer the brunt of it.” (CityLab)
- Last week’s election results showed that urban voters are willing to pay higher taxes for better transit, but at the federal level the long-term outlook for transit and street safety funding is murky. (Governing)
- Pro-bike measures approved by voters in dozens of cities and states nationwide will provide a historic $26 billion for bike projects. (People for Bikes)
- Incoming Republican Senate committee chairs are expected to roll back funding for rail and other infrastructure projects. (Roll Call)
- The bipartisan infrastructure law is projected to add millions of tons of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere, primarily because state DOTs have chosen to spend the funds on building highways. (Transportation for America, Streetsblog)
- The oil industry wants the Trump administration to repeal President Biden’s climate regulations. (Inside Climate News)
- Tripling renewable energy and boosting electric car sales to 70 percent of all vehicles are among the drastic measures that need to be taken to meet global climate goals by 2030. (Bloomberg)
- Most state DOTs operate with little transparency or accountability, according to a new Brookings Institute report. (Streetsblog USA)
- Without help, Philadelphia transit agency SEPTA is entering a death spiral of service cuts and fare hikes. (CBS News)
- Seattle is planning for mixed-use development in the sprawling area around a new Federal Way light rail station. (The Urbanist)
- A Vision Zero audit in Portland found that traffic deaths almost doubled between 2018 and 2023. (KATU)
- A think tank report in San Diego cited bigger vehicles and slow construction timelines for failing to achieve Vision Zero by 2025. (KPBS)
- With winter around the corner, Seattle Bike Blog has tips for riding in wet weather and darkness.
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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