Wednesday’s Headlines Were Bankrupted by Cars

• More Americans are currently behind on their auto loans since at least 1994. (Bloomberg)
• People are living in their cars in part because their monthly payments are so high they can’t afford rent. (New York Times)
• Portland officials are considering suspending bike parking requirements as a way to bring down housing costs, which even some bike advocates surprisingly support as a temporary measure. (Bike Portland)
• The L.A. Metro is on track to hit pre-pandemic ridership levels soon. (LAist)
• Honolulu has until the end of the year to resolve a dispute with the Federal Transit Administration and receive $744 million in federal funds for a light rail line. (Civil Beat)
• St. Louis County will reconsider funding for regional transit after a measure deadlocked because one Democratic council member was absent. (Post-Dispatch)
• A one-year pilot program in poverty-stricken New Orleans will provide fare-free transit for youth. (Transit Center)
• The Austin city council wants to delay the start of construction on I-35 due to air quality concerns. (Monitor)
• Gov. Spencer Cox has previously acknowledged that Utah can’t pave its way out of congestion, but now wants to widen I-15 and other state roads as part of an Olympics bid. (Salt Lake City Weekly)
• Since state lawmakers in Annapolis control the Baltimore transit system, one city delegate asked them to come ride it. (Banner)
• Stanford University’s hospital is violating an expansion agreement with Palo Alto to limit the number of employees driving to work and could have to pay a $4 million fine. (The Almanac)
• Buffalo is testing “smart streets” with bike lanes, moveable curbs, heated sidewalks and more on a seven-block stretch of downtown. (News)
• Forget flying cars — Uber is now disrupting the hot air balloon business. (Insider)

source https://usa.streetsblog.org/2023/10/25/wednesdays-headlines-were-bankrupted-by-cars