The Hub 1/11/19: Clean Air Council’s Weekly Round-Up of Transportation News
“The Hub” is a weekly round-up of transportation related news in the Philadelphia area and beyond. Check back weekly to keep up to date on the issues Clean Air Council’s transportation staff finds important.
Plan Philly: SEPTA facing $63 million capital budget shortfall over motorists’ lawsuit – A truckers lobby and a drivers association have filed a lawsuit in federal court alleging that the portion of revenue that is diverted from the PA Turnpike to PennDOT for multimodal projects is unlawful. SEPTA receives $63 million a year of the turnpike money, which goes fully to its capital fund. If this lawsuit is successful, PennDOT may have to pay back the $6 billion that has been received since the payments began.
New York Times: Wielding Rocks and Knives, Arizonans Attack Self-Driving Cars – Chandler, Arizona has been home to Waymo autonomous vehicle testing since 2017. Some residents have protested AVs with attacks of slashed tires and hurled rocks. At least 21 attacks on AVs have happened in Chandler since testing began. Waymo had decided to not press charges in any of these incidents.
Streets Blog: Op-Ed: Another Reason to Support Congestion Pricing? Cleaner Air – For many New Yorkers, congestion pricing is a no brainer. A Washington Heights resident and member of Mom’s Clean Air Force shares her concerns about childhood asthma is this Op-Ed.
Strong Towns: 2 Photos Reveal Why the Key to Slowing Traffic is Street Design, Not Speed Limits – Simply lowering a speed limit does little to change the behavior of drivers. Narrower lanes, green space, and shorter blocks are all design features that slow traffic successfully. Statistically speaking, the more dangerous you feel a situation is, the safer you drive. Wide margins of error, though perceived to make driving easier, actually make drivers more careless and less aware of their surroundings.
City Lab: Getting Around the City With Kids, When Formal Transit Has Collapsed – Harare, Zimbabwe at one time had an affordable efficient transit system. Now, all that remains are informal busses and taxis called kombi. For many mothers, going to the downtown market with children is an expensive journey, fraught with harassment. Hwindi is an app that is bringing ride hailing to Harare. The app also provides package delivery and tow truck services as well. With a cost in between a bus and a taxi, the shared rides could improve mobility for many.
Image Source: Strong Towns
