Midweek Roundup: Community Crossroads

Tonight, 6-8pm: Seattle Neighborhood Greenways is hosting Community Crossroads" atEl Centro de la Razain Beacon Hill. The event will feature a panel discussion and community engagement opportunities considering the future of Seattle's most dangerous corridors, including Aurora Ave N, MLK Jr. Way S., and streets in South Park.

The PSRC is taking input on its Regional Transportation Plan at three more events across King County this month.RSVP to an event near you.

Local Transit & Streets:

• King County's proposed budget for Metro includes more funding for security, behavioral health experts, and bus stop cleaning as part of an effort to improve safety and security across its service network (The Seattle Times, $). More info from Metro.
• Public records show planned safety improvements to Lake Washington Blvd were practically shovel-ready before being abruptly cancelled (The Urbanist).
• The Salmon Bone Bridge" (a sculptural pedestrian bridge) reopened last week after a second phase of fish passage restoration efforts on Longfellow Creek in West Seattle (the Seattle Times, $).
• If you're on a Community Transit bus this month, keep an eye out for on-board survey team members seeking input on rider experience and service improvements (CT News).
• Kitsap Transit recently launched real-time bus tracking, customizable rider alerts, and more informational tools for riders (KT Headways).

Other News & Commentary:

• The Trump administration is targeting blue states by rescinding awarded grants, including $18 billion for NYC-area transit projects (NYT, gift link) and $2.1 billion in Chicago-area transit projects (NYT, gift link), citing DEI" and anarchy". Trump's Dept. of Energy also cancelled over $1 billion awarded for a hydrogen hub in WA (Seattle Times, $), which multiple PNW transit agencies were hoping would make hydrogen-fueled buses economical (covered by STB last year). Streetsblog USA argues these retractions won't stand up to legal challenge, as funding is controlled by Congress, not the Executive Branch.
• Private transit is not immune to construction cost explosion: Brightline's estimate to build high speed rail between Las Vegas and outer Los Angeles recently ballooned from $16 billion to $21.5 billion (Bloomberg CityLab).
• Many homeowners in Houston are turning their garages into a new sort of patio (NYT, gift link).
• E-bikes could cut carbon, congestion, and costs if cities enable their widespread use (Grist)
• The Metro Employees Historical Vehicle Association is hosting a Fall Foliage Tour on retired Metro busses though the Cascade foothills. The tour is on October 26 at 11:00 AM and costs $10 per person.

This is an Open Thread.