Citing the drastically reduced costs of a bus line, the city of Providence is hoping to replace its proposed streetcar line with the Providence Enhanced Bus Circulator. The new proposal requires federal funding to display a similar flexibility.
"The end of the line has come for Providence's downtown streetcar plan," according to an article by Patrick Anderson. "Dogged by cost and ridership concerns since it was first proposed nearly 10 years ago by then-Mayor David Cicilline, the proposed streetcar has been abandoned in favor of an "enhanced bus" line along the same route…"
Anderson reports on the lack of political support at the state and the local level for the streetcar plan before turning to the Providence Enhanced Bus Circulator project that will take its place. The goal is to have the bus plan included in the state of Rhode Island's upcoming ten-year transportation plan. Federal funding intended for streetcar will need to be cleared for the bus plan. Providence Planning Director Bonnie Nickerson is cited in the article saying, "city officials would be meeting with representatives of the Federal Transit Administration over the next month to make sure they can change the scope of the project without losing the streetcar funding."
FULL STORY: Providence abandons streetcar plan for new bus line
Depopulation Patterns Get Weird
A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.
California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million
Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Chicago to Turn High-Rise Offices into Housing
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How California Transit Agencies are Addressing Rider Harassment
Safety and harassment are commonly cited reasons passengers, particularly women and girls, avoid public transit.
Significant Investments Needed to Protect LA County Residents From Climate Hazards
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Federal Rule Raises Cost for Oil and Gas Extraction on Public Lands
An update to federal regulations raises minimum bonding to limit orphaned wells and ensure cleanup costs are covered — but it still may not be enough to mitigate the damages caused by oil and gas drilling.
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