Wednesday’s Headlines Want to Build Cheaper and Faster

Why did it take 11 years and $450 million to save rail riders traveling between Boston and D.C. less than two minutes, when France can build a whole new high-speed rail line in six years? (Vice)

Ridership has snapped back on smaller transit systems used mainly by low-income riders, while bigger ones used mainly by suburban commuters are facing an existential crisis — and some are in between, depending on their funding mechanisms. (Governing)

Related: Some advocates argue the tri-state New York City region should integrate their commuter rail systems with NYC transit. (City Lab)

President Biden’s proposal to suspend the federal gas tax comes with a lot of risk and little upside. (The Hill)

This is only tangentially related to transportation at best, but we must point you to testimony that truck-loving former President Donald Trump apparently tried to wrest the wheel away from a Secret Service agent who refused to drive his limousine to the Jan. 6 insurrection. (New York Times)

Three Texas groups are filing a lawsuit seeking to stop the state DOT from expanding I-35 in Austin. (Monitor)

After the Durham-Orange light rail project failed, Research Triangle officials are now considering another line connecting Raleigh and Durham at a cost of about $3 billion. (WRAL)

Kansas City’s Complete Streets and Vision Zero programs aren’t progressing fast enough for the pedestrians who continue to die. (KCUR)

Cities in Washington state are now allowed to use cameras to enforce speed limits, but none of them are rushing to be the first. (The Urbanist)

The Metro Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority should follow Alexandria’s example and make buses fare-free. (AJC)

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s vision for transit is informed by her experiences as a mother and a woman of color. (The Guardian)

The Promised Land remains choked with traffic despite promises of better transit. (Jerusalem Post)