Tuesday’s Headlines: Everything isn’t Awesome Edition

This is why state officials want to widen Route 17 upstate — because the creators of Legoland were allowed to put a theme park there.
This is why state officials want to widen Route 17 upstate — because the creators of Legoland were allowed to put a theme park there.

Remember our story earlier this month about how New York State was planning to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to widen upstate Route 17? Well, one of the reasons taxpayers are footing the bill for this oligarchic scam — the new Legoland New York — just got slapped with hundreds of thousands of dollars in environmental fines, the Post reported.

Remember that next time yet another corporation wants its share of highway welfare.

In other news from a tortoise of a news day:

  • That convenient program that allows commuters to deduct transit from their pre-tax wages is backfiring for the work-from-home crowd. (NY Times)
  • The Times is taking Corey Johnson’s race for comptroller seriously. (And we thank reporter Jeffery Mays for linking to our prior story on Brad Lander’s still formidable position in the race.)
  • Bad timing: Two ferry stops in Brooklyn are being renovated now, just as the ridership is poised to return. (Brooklyn Paper)
  • Specific details about federal transit funding from the latest stimulus are starting to emerge. (NJ.com)
  • Annie Weinstock’s Reorientations blog picked up our story about the overcrowding on the Second Avenue bike lane. The more the merrier (coverage, we mean, not narrow bike lanes).
  • It’s not just an American problem: With few exceptions, transit systems all over the world are struggling during the pandemic, which could have major implications for efforts to combat climate change. (New York Times)
  • A vehicle-miles tax could be part of President Biden’s infrastructure plan, according to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. (CNBC)

ALSO ON STREETSBLOG

Introducing the Streetsblog Network

|
We’ve just launched our shiny new transportation-policy blog network, and we’re pretty darn excited. You can find out why by clicking here. Streetsblog Network (http://usa.streetsblog.org) brings together more than 100 blogs from 31 states — and counting. Its purpose is twofold: to create a place where people who blog on smart growth, livable streets and […]

Does Cuomo’s Budget Include Tappan Zee Subsidies?

|
Governor Cuomo’s state budget proposal includes hundreds of millions of dollars in discretionary spending for what one administration official has called “transformational projects.” It’s not clear what the loosely-defined pot of money will be used for, but so far the rhetoric indicates that Cuomo’s wide, transit-less, double-span Tappan Zee replacement bridge could be one recipient. This […]
STREETSBLOG USA

The Scandalously High Cost of Shortchanging Transit

|
You will remember that Wisconsin was the state that, according to Gov. Scott Walker, couldn’t afford to operate an inter-city rail system, even with an $800 million federal start-up grant. But it turns out that having a transportation system based entirely on automobile travel isn’t exactly cheap. Now, instead of reaping savings, Wisconsin is drowning […]