<
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-12-22/when-it-comes-to-us-transportation-2025-had-some-wins-too>
"This year has been a rocky one for those hoping to untether the US
transportation system from its reliance on the automobile. Sean Duffy,
President Donald Trump’s choice to lead the Department of Transportation, has
yanked funding for street improvements deemed “hostile” to cars, questioned the
value of bike lanes and mounted an attack on “political messages or artwork”
painted on crosswalks that researchers suggest are harmless.
Public transportation has been a particular focus of Duffy’s ire. Already
vulnerable due to escalating costs and a post-Covid dip in ridership, transit
agencies have also had to deal with the USDOT secretary’s dubious claims about
endangered riders and threats about pulling financial support.
And yet, to channel Mark Twain, reports of transit’s death are greatly
exaggerated. New dedicated bus lanes are opened in Miami-Dade County, the Twin
Cities and Los Angeles. The Washington, DC, metro area has expanded service and
nearly matched its pre-Covid ridership. In Illinois, a landmark state law will
modernize transit across Chicagoland and provide $1.5 billion in recurring
annual funding. And while its fiscal troubles are far from over, Philadelphia’s
system has so far managed to avoid the catastrophic collapse that was widely
feared a few months ago.
Transit’s resilience is just one of 2025’s transportation bright spots. Here
are a few other developments worth appreciating before the calendar flips."
Via
Reasons to be Cheerful:
<
https://reasonstobecheerful.world/what-were-reading-los-angeles-fires-one-year-on/>
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
