Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In
Podcast

Talking Headways Podcast: Building a Culture of Transit Ridership

This week's guest is Tom Gerend, executive director of the KC Streetcar Authority. Tom tells us about the challenges of creating the streetcar and a broader regional transit network, and explains the value capture mechanism that funds all of the KC Streetcar’s operations and maintenance, as well as some of the project design and construction. Listen in and hear the reasons for some of the unusual policy decisions behind the KC Streetcar, including the fact that it's free to ride.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

In NYC, Unlicensed Drivers Comprise One-Quarter Of Street Fatalities: Data

Unlicensed drivers are linked to fatal crashes much more often now than pre-pandemic

January 13, 2026

Tuesday’s Headlines Need Exercise

Every hour in a car increases the risk of obesity by 6 percent, while walking a kilometer lowers it 5 percent.

January 13, 2026

Opinion: Stop Asking If People Want to Ride Bikes

"We shouldn’t be aiming to nudge a few percentage points in public opinion. Our goal should be to make freedom of mobility so compelling that people demand it."

January 13, 2026

When the Government Says You’re ‘Weaponizing’ Your Car

Immigrations and Customs Enforcement officers have been brutalizing and killing people who they perceive as threats. Is mass automobility multiplying their pretext to do it?

January 12, 2026

Should Monday’s Headlines Carry a Carrot or a Stick?

Human beings generally don't like being forced to do anything, so Grist wonders whether policies like car bans could actually be counterproductive?

January 12, 2026

Chicago Explores Black Perspectives on Public Transit

"We're not going to fix decades of inequitable investment in one year, and things like the high-frequency bus network and the Red Line Extension are really important, but the work isn't done."

January 9, 2026
See all posts