Ridership is down 30 to 80 percent on most major transit systems. | Photo By Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

Zero-emission transportation policy recommendations would provide a climate-friendly economic stimulus It?s a surreal scene for city dwellers. Empty sidewalks, sparsely populated buses, and transit agencies pleading with passengers on social media not to ride them unless absolutely necessary. And by all accounts, would-be riders across the country are obeying orders to stay home and slow the spread of the novel coronavirus.
The numbers are grim. Major transit agencies have reported ridership dropping by more than half over the last two weeks. But an even larger catastrophe is looming. With fewer riders paying fares, and operational costs rising due to increased sanitizing of vehicles and facilities, transit systems in cities like Boston, San Francisco, Austin, and Los Angeles have announced service cuts, including, in some cases, eliminating all overnight service at a time when there are no other options for transit-dependent riders to get around safely. ?We are seeing steep declines of 30 to 80 percent,? says Steven Higashide, director of research at TransitCenter. ?At the same time, the crisis underscores how essential public transit is for people who have essential jobs or need transit to go to the grocery store or get to a doctor?s office.?
Long before a pandemic was circulating the planet, the policy team behind the Green New Deal was plott...