- The Trump administration wants to strip $30 billion in funding for transit agencies in next year's transportation funding bill (Streetsblog USA). The proposal would "annihilate" state and local transportation budgets while stranding millions of Americans in red and blue states alike, according to Transportation for America.
- On top of that, the Federal Transit Administration has officially eliminated the social cost of carbon as a criteria by which projects are judged (Progressive Railroading) and may stop collecting weekly data on transit ridership (Bloomberg).
- This comes as chaos at the nation's airports is causing more people to take trains, with Amtrak expecting a record number of passengers over Thanksgiving. (The Atlantic; paywall)
- The Eno Center for Transportation has a series of articles on "Reimagining the USDOT for a New Era of American Mobility" arguing that the agency is fragmented and lacks data.
- Technology is coming that will allow traffic engineers to measure near misses. (TTI)
- Lyft CEO David Risher says robotaxis won't replace human drivers anytime soon because neither the technology nor regulators are ready, plus they're unpopular. (Fortune; paywall)
- Several Dallas-area cities want to leave DART and create their own disconnected and less efficient microtransit services. (Dallas Observer)
- Revamping the overbuilt Port of Milwaukee interchange would restore the street grid and open up land for greenspace or development. (Urban Milwaukee)
- Denver's transit agency is looking at redeveloping eight underused park-and-ride lots, possibly as affordable housing. (Mass Transit)
- Cincinnati's new downtown redevelopment plan includes walking and biking paths from I-74 to the Ohio River. (Local 12)
- Former Charlotte mayor Anthony Foxx, who served as transportation secretary under President Obama, offers advice on implementing Mecklenberg County's recently passed transportation plan. (Charlotte Observer)
- St. Louis released its first transportation plan since, astoundingly, 1948. (Fox 2)
- Pittsburgh Regional Transit is stranding fewer riders due to a lack of bus drivers, but still has a problem with buses being late. (Union Progress)
- Despite its success at reducing traffic and providing revenue for transit, New York City's congestion pricing policy remains relatively unpopular compared to London's because a fractured government structure hobbled it from the start. (Brown Political Review)
- London is raising its congestion pricing fee and will start charging electric vehicles to enter the city center for the first time. (The Guardian)
- The car-free zone in Brussels has gotten so crowded with pedestrians that the city is starting to restrict bikes. The problem is, there's no delineation between spaces for people on foot or cyclists. (CityLab)
Today's Headlines
Wednesday’s Headlines Have Their Head in the Sand
The Trump administration doesn't want to fund transit, know how many people ride it or acknowledge the effects of getting rid of it.
By Blake Aued
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