Monday’s Headlines Switch Tracks

• Yonah Freemark reminds us that, as a candidate in 2020, Kamala Harris was a strong supporter of public transportation and reducing car dependency (Twitter). As vice president, she took the lead on electrifying bus fleets and limiting truck emissions (White House).
• Pete Buttigieg is on the short list of names to be Harris’ running mate (Reuters). Buttigieg joined his boss, President Biden, in endorsing Harris (Wall Street Journal).
• The secretary of transportation is already on the attack against Donald Trump’s running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance (The Hill), and Vance’s longtime benefactor, tech billionaire and Trump supporter Peter Thiel (Salon).
• The 10 percent of Americans who drive the most consume a third of the gas. Those mostly rural residents are the people lawmakers should target to get them into electric vehicles. (Governing)
• The New York Times mapped how hot sidewalks are getting in Phoenix, Sacramento and Portland.
• Philadelphians are pushing for more protected bike lanes after a driver killed a children’s hospital doctor while she was riding her bike. (CBS News)
• Driving 140 miles per hour?!?! The Washington Post breaks down the often egregious infractions caught by D.C.’s traffic enforcement cameras.
• Massachusetts’ $58 billion budget agreement includes fare-free regional transit. (NBC 10)
• A grand jury told San Diego it should focus as much on maintaining often-neglected sidewalks as it does streets. (CBS 8)
• The head of Atlanta’s DOT denies city council members’ accusations that he’s neglecting Atlanta’s largely Black and impoverished Southside. (Fox 5)
• Pittsburgh Regional Transit is considering borrowing up to $800 million to replace 81 aging light rail cars if it’s unable to obtain grants. (Union Progress)
• Charlotte’s plans in the 1990s called for five light rail lines by 2025. Today, the city only has one. (Axios)
• El Paso cyclists want the city to do a better job of maintaining bike lanes. (KFOX 14)
• Even the death of a teammate won’t stop University of Georgia football players from driving recklessly. (Flagpole)
• Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced $30 billion in funding for transit over 10 years, starting in 2026. (CBC)

source https://usa.streetsblog.org/2024/07/21/mondays-headlines-switch-tracks