Friday’s Headlines Are a Double Whammy

• Another federal judge ruled against the Biden administration rule requiring states to report their transportation emissions, but won’t block it while the decision is under appeal. (Reuters)
• The U.S. DOT is accepting applications for $7.5 billion in grants for large, complex infrastructure projects. (Smart Cities Dive)
• A lack of protected bike lanes is the main barrier to biking for people who are interested but concerned about safety, according to a new Australian study. (Velo)
• Cities should be taking advantage of e-bikes’ growing popularity by studying usage patterns and integrating them into the broader transportation system. (Momentum)
• Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is backing a lawsuit that, if it delays Project Connect long enough, could allow the state legislature to kill Austin’s transit expansion plan. (Chronicle)
• Los Angeles secured $900 million in federal grants for transit projects ahead of the 2028 Summer Olympics. (NBC Los Angeles, Streetsblog LA)
• Oakland has hired a former Atlanta transit official and transportation director as head of its DOT. (Oaklandside, Streetsblog SF)
• Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a transportation financing bill that also contains a provision stopping local government from implementing road diets. (Florida Politics)
• Minnesota lawmakers are considering taking the troubled Southwest Light Rail project away from the Twin Cities’ Met Council and putting it under the state DOT. (KSTP)
• As project costs rise and revenue shrinks, bike lanes and transit are likely to lose out to major highway construction in Washington state. (The Urbanist)
• A Washington state disability rights group is raising awareness of the challenges disabled non-drivers face navigating transit. (Next City)
• A Charlotte hospitality tax could be used to revive a transit plan the state legislature essentially killed by not allowing a sales tax referendum. (Observer)
• Just 10 Dallas streets account for more than half of severe car crashes. (WFAA)
• Milwaukee’s streetcar extension will start full operations on April 11. (CBS 58)
• Phoenix is offering grants to help small businesses survive during light rail construction. (KTAR)
• Raleigh is halting its red-light camera program because it’s too time-consuming for staff to process violations. (Spectrum News)
• A Seattle entrepreneur’s new peer-to-peer bike rental company is like an Airbnb for bikes. (Seattle Bike Blog)

source https://usa.streetsblog.org/2024/04/05/fridays-headlines-are-a-double-whammy