Monday’s Headlines Are Bumper to Bumper

• New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s surprise decision to block congestion pricing in Manhattan last week is sure generating a lot of traffic for news outlets.
  • The NY Times has a tick-tock claiming Hochul always had reservations, in contrast to previous reporting that fellow Democrats convinced her it might help pick up a few suburban U.S. House seats, as detailed in this Slate article.
  • Usually conservative CNBC demolishes the arguments against congestion pricing and says it will hurt the city’s economy in the long run.
  • Its liberal sibling MSNBC notes that, as a result, NYC’s aging subways will become even less reliable. Riders are bracing for “hell,” Bloomberg reports, due to the lack of funding congestion pricing would have provided.
  • Vox calls it a “huge mistake” that will only discourage other other American cities from implementing a proven policy that reduces congestion and emissions. Route Fifty wonders if the idea — discussed in cities like Boston, Philadelphia and Los Angeles — even has a chance now.
  • Congestion pricing in other countries has proven to be popular once residents see how much more livable their cities become, according to Reasons to Be Cheerful.
  • Visit Streetsblog NYC for on-the-ground coverage.
• Further disillusioning climate activists, the Biden administration is backing off of its aggressive proposed increases in fuel efficiency standards. (Politico)
• Uber and Lyft’s deal with Minnesota on driver pay and working conditions was a big win for big tech because it preserves those companies’ power imbalance over their contractors, even if drivers did get a minimum wage hike. (The Guardian)
• Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens is pushing to delay four years of construction at the city’s Five Points transit hub until the results of an audit are in. (AJC)
• When a car blew through an intersection in the wrong lane past dozens of people on a bike “safety ride,” Atlanta police pulled over the group of cyclists instead of going after the driver. (FOX 5)
• Biking is starting to pick up again in Portland after a huge chunk of bike commuters started working from home during the pandemic. (Portland Monthly)
• The Maryland DOT adopted a complete streets policy. (Greater Greater Washington)
• The Milwaukee County Transit System is looking into taking over The Hop streetcar and a suburban transit system as it explores creating a regional agency. (Urban Milwaukee)
• Denver transit users were dealing with the delays and slow trains late last week under somewhat murky circumstances related to maintenance projects. (Colorado Public Radio)
• An Ohio Lyft driver quit the app and struck out on his own so that he can take his dog along for the ride. (WOUB)

source https://usa.streetsblog.org/2024/06/09/mondays-headlines-are-bumper-to-bumper