- The "Seattle Squeeze" is on, as the Alaskan Way Viaduct is now permanently closed. Curbed has a rundown on what Sound Transit is and is not doing to help commuters. Even though it's January, biking might be the best way to get around, reports the Post-Intelligencer. Less productively, KING chides pedestrians for slowing down traffic by stepping into crosswalks with the clock winding down.
- Although the latest Census numbers show fewer people are regularly cycling to work, the death of bike commuting has been greatly exaggerated. (Bicycling)
- Maryland's Purple Line is a year behind schedule and $215 million over budget, according to contractors, although the state disputes those figures and says the contractor can do more to accelerate construction. (Washington Post)
- Massachusetts's new bike plan update calls for treating all modes of transportation equally and reducing the number of short trips made by car. MDOT has $60 million to implement the plan through 2023. (Boston.com)
- Bay Area transit can be unaffordable for minimum wage earners and people on fixed incomes. Is BART’s pay-by-distance system to blame? (Curbed)
- A Cincinnati city councilman has filed a motion to look into Vision Zero as the number of pedestrians injured by drivers continues to rise. (WKRC)
- The federal shutdown could delay Uber and Lyft's public stock offerings as they await feedback from laid-off regulators. (Fortune)
- While it's difficult to provide efficient transit service in rural areas, ride-hailing isn't the answer, either. Only 19 percent of rural Americans use Uber or Lyft. (Vox)
- With parking construction running at $45,000 a space, Vancouver is considering only building parking for visitors, leaving developers on their own. The city could reduce or eliminate parking minimums, as well. (The Columbian)
- Conservative website Townhall concern-trolls cyclists: Biking is dangerous, but instead of making it safer, just discourage people from biking.
Today's Headlines
Monday’s Headlines
By Blake Aued
Stay in touch
Sign up for our free newsletter
More from Streetsblog USA
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."
Confirmed: Non-Driving Infrastructure Creates ‘Induced Demand,’ Too
Widening a highway to cure congestion is like losing weight by buying bigger pants — but thanks to the same principle of "induced demand," adding bike paths and train lines to cure climate actually works.
January 9, 2026
Friday’s Headlines Are Unsustainably Expensive
To paraphrase former New York City mayoral candidate Jimmy McMillan, the car payment is too damn high.
Talking Headways Podcast: Poster Sessions at Mpact in Portland
Young professionals discuss the work they’ve been doing including designing new transportation hubs, rethinking parking and improving buses.
January 8, 2026
