Midweek Roundup: growth, gains, and greatness

Local Transit News:

• Sound Transit Outlines Promising Everett Link Cost Reductions, Bleaker Seattle News (The Urbanist). STB article in the works.
• Seattle eyes electric cargo bikes for greener deliveries (The Seattle Times, $)
• Sound Transit Leaders Plan to Give Fare Gates a Closer Look (The Urbanist)
• Beware, Seattle: Scooter accidents are on the rise (The Seattle Times, $). Nationwide study finds micromobility is replacing car trips across US; 40% of Veo riders don't own a car; 28% don't have driver's license (Zag Daily).
• Growth, Gains and Greatness: One Year of RapidRide G (Metro Matters)
• Construction will close 57 parking spaces at Lynnwood City Center station (Community Transit Blog)
• Be a LOOKer! Stay safe and look both ways around tracks and trains (The Platform)

Other Transportation:

• Fare Evasion Cost the M.T.A. $1 Billion in 2024, but the Trend May Be Slowing (The New York Times, gift link)
• Driving trips are dropping, especially among young people (State Smart Transportation Initiative)
• Justice Department, Norfolk Southern settle lawsuit over Amtrak's Crescent (Trains Magazine)
• Billions spent, miles to go: The story of California's failure to build high speed rail (Grist)

Land Use & Housing:

• Renting in Seattle area to get harder as supply of new apartments drops (The Seattle Times, $)
• Hundreds Turn Out for Last Seattle Growth Plan Hearing (The Urbanist)
• What That Day-Long Comp Plan Hearing Was About (PubliCola)

Commentary & Miscellaneous:

• Seattle growth plan lacks creativity, coherence. Here's how to repair it (Opinion, Seattle Times, $)
• Here's how WA could allow more affordable housing to be built (Opinion, Seattle Times, $)
• We can fix Seattle's chronically late Route 8 bus. Here's how (Opinion, Seattle Times, $)
• Riding Amtrak's Empire Builder (Trains Magazine)

This is an Open Thread.