Friday’s Headlines

• Commutes are getting longer, with 18 percent of workers traveling at least 40 miles, up from 15 percent before the pandemic, and 3 percent traveling 70 miles or more. Stanford University researchers suspect that hybrid workers are willing to tolerate longer commutes because they don’t have to go to work every day. Housing costs are also a factor. (The Hill)
• Chemicals from the East Palestine derailment spread as far away as Wisconsin, Maine and North Carolina. (The Guardian)
• Tap-to-pay fare collection is not only convenient for riders, but provides transit agencies with valuable data. (Government Technology)
• MinnPost has ideas for revitalizing the Minneapolis Green Line.
• Austin transit users are frustrated by delays in a lawsuit over whether the city can issue bonds to pay for Project Connect. (KXAN)
• A $13 million federal grant and a contribution by a private equity firm will help Baltimore convert to an all-hydrogen bus fleet. (Banner)
• Opposition is growing to the Metro Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority’s plan to close its main rail hub in Five Points for renovations. (Saporta Report)
• The Atlanta Beltline organization approved $172 million to fast-track trail and affordable housing construction. (AJC)
• Amtrak has finalized plans for new routes through Salt Lake City. (Building Salt Lake)
• Uber drivers went on strike over low wages in Indianapolis (WTHR) and complained about lack of protection from crime in Memphis (ABC 25).
• Honolulu released a plan to reach Vision Zero by 2040. (Civil Beat)
• San Francisco will move a weirdly controversial Valencia Street bike lane from the center of the street to the curb. (Mission Local)
• California regulators are considering requiring bike parking in residential buildings. (Streetsblog CAL)
• Mesa and Tempe leaders are expected to decide by early next year whether to move forward with a Valley Metro streetcar extension. (Axios)
• The price tag for Omaha’s downtown streetcar has risen from $308 million to $389 million (Nebraska Examiner), but the project is already spurring new development (KETV).
• Tallahassee is making safety improvements to a street where a hit-and-run driver killed a college student. (WTXL)
• China is building high-speed rail at the fastest pace in the world, with 12,000 miles of tracks laid in the past nine years. (Engineering)
• A new law in Austria allows the government to confiscate super-speeders’ cars. (City Lab)
• The mayor of Quebec City went viral for dunking on a reporter’s dumb question about taxing cyclists. (Momentum Mag)

source https://usa.streetsblog.org/2024/06/21/fridays-headlines-79