Cuts in MTA staff in subway stations leave transit riders lost, feeling unsafe. Vendors and repair staff are reluctantly picking up the slack.
"Subway station agents, once mandatory for selling tokens, have suffered a slow road toward obsolescence. Booth closings began earlier this decade, after transitofficials decided they were an antiquated antecedent to MetroCards and their colorful kiosks.
But riders said they liked having the agents around, particularly at night as a deterrent against crime. A compromise plan in 2005 reoriented the job toward customer service, placing some clerks outside the booths to better assist riders. Now that program is being wiped out."
FULL STORY: Cuts in M.T.A. Subway Station Agents Leave Riders Worried

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Restaurant Patios Were a Pandemic Win — Why Were They so Hard to Keep?
Social distancing requirements and changes in travel patterns prompted cities to pilot new uses for street and sidewalk space. Then it got complicated.

Map: Where Senate Republicans Want to Sell Your Public Lands
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Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
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San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths
Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

California Homeless Arrests, Citations Spike After Ruling
An investigation reveals that anti-homeless actions increased up to 500% after Grants Pass v. Johnson — even in cities claiming no policy change.
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