Tuesday’s Headlines Stand Up for Transit

Transit needs investment, not defunding, Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib writes in The Hill.

By Blake Aued

12:01 AM EDT on April 29, 2025

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Transit is crucial for economic justice, helping people access jobs, school and health care, and allowing families living paycheck-to-paycheck to save money on transportation costs. The Trump administration is threatening those opportunities, writes Detroit congresswoman Rashida Tlaib. (The Hill)
A Centre for Economic Policy Research analysis found transit's effect on income and segregation depends on speed and accessibility. (VoxEU)
State DOTs are spending most of their federal transportation dollars on state highways and giving locally owned roads short shrift, leading to local roads that are in poor repair and local governments diverting funds away from other areas, like education. (Brookings Institute)
Facing a housing crisis, Montana Republicans are backing new bipartisan laws allowing denser development and lifting many city parking requirements, potentially providing a blueprint for other red states. (Sightline Institute)
Transit leaders who want to rely less on volatile federal grants under the Trump administration are looking to public-private partnerships instead. (Government Technology)
Harris County, Texas became the first county in the U.S. to create a climate resiliency plan covering the entire population, not just the government. (Houston Public Media)
Ridership on Portland's TriMet fell from 100 million in 2019 to 40 million in 2021, then bounced back to 66 million last year, but the recovery appears to be slowing down, probably because fewer people work in the city center now. (Oregonian)
In the Seattle area, King County is close to completing a new bus depot capable of charging 120 battery-electric buses. (Mass Transit)
Phoenix residents who lack housing have taken to living in bus shelters. (Arizona Republic)
Philadelphia is coming around to roundabouts. (WHYY)
A Fort Collins, Colorado group that wants to keep a recreation area natural is trying to block a bike park there. (CBS News)
Matt Farrah is a YouTube car influencer who, despite being an enthusiast, understands why auto dependency is bad for cities and for people. (CityLab)