Breakfast links: Cities are taxing ride-hailing services to fund new infrastructure
Cities are using taxes on ride-hailing services to fund improvements
Major US cities are using taxes on ride-hailing services to make big changes. Philadelphia expects to spend $2.6 million on public schools from a 1.4 percent tax, while Chicago and Massachusetts are using a flat 15- and 20-cent fee to pay for infrastructure improvements. (Winnie Hu / NYT)
Montclair, California criminalizes distracted walking to “protect” pedestrians
Montclair, California has made it illegal to use earbuds, make a phone call, or text while in a crosswalk as part of a “Distracted Walking” ban. (James Brausuell / Planetizen)
Baltimore blames fire safety for lack of bike network progress
With its bike network only 25 percent done and 100 percent over budget, Baltimore city officials have delayed the work for a new reason — fire safety. A new rule says streets must have 20 feet of clearance for safety vehicles, a requirement most streets currently can't meet. (Angie Schmitt / Streetsblog USA)
Lyft sponsors five bikeshare stations in Baltimore
Lyft will be dropping $270,000 to sponsor five Baltimore bikeshare stations for the next three years. As part of the partnership, the five stations will be rebranded as official Lyft passenger loading zones. (Colin Campbell / Baltimore Sun)
Who employs Washingtonians?
As you might expect, the single greatest employed of DC residents is still the federal government, though the 364,000 jobs is down 1.1 percent from 2016. Tourism, education, and healthcare are the biggest growth industries, with a 3 percent and 3.6 percent increase since 2016. (Jeff Clabaugh / WTOP)
VA’s budget plan aimes to retool the I-66 tolls
Virginia's General Assembly budget committees have attempted to overhaul tolls on I-66 inside the Beltway, including lowering the target speed for vehicles. The Virginia Department of Transportation says it needs more data first. (Max Smith / WTOP)
A new toolkit details 11 indicators for walkability
Revealed at the World Urban Forum earlier this month, the new “Pedestrian First” toolkit uses 11 indicators to evaluate cities on their walkability. (Irvin Dawid / Planetizen)
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