Mexico City cutting 1700 trees to make way for cars

huffingtonpost: "Mayor Miguel Ángel Mancera later announced that the tree removal was part of the ongoing plan to construct a tunnel along Mixcoac to reduce traffic congestion in the region. Up to 1,700 trees could be removed in the process."

People of Lima, Peru, want good #publictransit, and willing to pay

62% of Limeñans think public transport is "bad or terrible" - Peru this Week: "Sixty-two percent of Limeñans think that public transportation is bad or terrible and 47% in the Lima provinces agree that the transportation is bad or terrible.

Twenty-six percent of Peruvians think that the Ministry of Transport and Communications (MTC) has done a poor job; 12% said they’re doing a terrible job, while 2% said they’re doing excellent and 20% said they’re doing well.

In the most surprising of all the results, the survey found that 60% of the provinces and 72% of Limeñans said they would be willing to pay more for better service."

Fifteen ;years of annual #carfree days have not changed much

TheCityFix: "Like many other growing cities, Bogotá has grappled with air pollution and car-related traffic fatalities. According to Americas Quarterly, the number of registered private vehicles has risen 76 percent in the past seven years, and respiratory illnesses are the number one cause of infant mortality in the city, with a staggering 600,000 children under the age of five treated annually for breathing-related problems. Furthermore, 322 pedestrians and 56 cyclists were killed in 2014 to car-related accidents, and drivers lost an average of 22 days from waiting in traffic."

Puerto Rico Hikes Gas Tax to Fend Off Public Transportation Shutdown

panampost : "Torres Cruz, along with Carlos Vargas and Manuel Natal, expressed disagreement with the proposal that aims to increase the tax on oil from US$9.25 per barrel to $15.50. The measure would generate $178 million for the Puerto Rican Treasury, while increasing the cost of fuel for families on the island."

How privatization destroyed Argentina commuter rail

CityMetric: "But this arrangement met its end in the early nineties under the leadership of free market president Carlos Menem, who decided it was time for the railroad to be run by the invisible hand of the free market: this, in practice, meant not being run at all. After he pulled the plug on the country’s public ownership of the trains, all but a few long distance passenger lines ended completely. Commuter trains in Buenos Aires continued to run – cutting them would have had political consequences – but the mind numbingly complex public/private management system left little incentive for train companies to update their equipment. The consequences of this were slow to make themselves known, but would ultimately be devastating."

Paint on the street does not protect bicyclists

Unachicaenbicicleta: "El día comenzó con una triste noticia para la Ciudad de México, el primer usuario del sistema ecobici murió atropellado por un transportista. Historias así realmente me acongojan.
A veces siento que los automovilistas, choferes de transporte público y motociclistas piensan que los ciclistas tenemos 7 vidas, como dicen que tienen los gatos. Lamento informarles que no, sólo tenemos una, igual de frágil que la suya; una vida que cuando rodamos exponemos de sobremanera por su impericia y prepotencia, y también por nuestra imprudencia."

Chile unveils plans to invest $4.2 bn in public transportation projects

Fox News Latino: "Chilean President Michelle Bachelet on Wednesday announced plans to invest $4.2 billion in 14 projects to upgrade public transportation, including the construction of a new Santiago Metro line and the expansion of two other lines."