- Shaped by Big Oil, auto barons, segregation, mortgage lenders and suburbanites, the American legal system has made car ownership a virtual necessity. Not only that — traffic laws prioritize the safety of car occupants, criminal penalties are less for those who kill with cars, and courts make it difficult to sue those drivers. (The Atlantic)
- Peak SUV is almost here, according to a story behind the Wall Street Journal’s paywall and summarized by the free site Jalopnik.
- Also behind the WSJ paywall: A former airline CEO has almost eliminated Amtrak's operating losses, but not all riders are happy about it.
- Insurance companies will no longer cover ride-hailing companies against sexual assault claims because high payouts to victims have made it too risky. (D Magazine)
- Seattle Times readers want to know why it takes so long — sometimes up to 20 years or more — to build a light rail line. More funding and streamlined planning could speed up the process.
- A Phoenix referendum on halting light-rail construction is coming up in about six weeks, but campaigning on both sides has been low-key so far. (Arizona Republic)
- A new rail line is already bringing a renaissance to four Connecticut town, even before the stations are built. (Hartford Courant)
- Cincinnati just launched its Vision Zero program but is already seeing a small reduction in crashes involving pedestrians versus 2018. (WCPO)
- A former top Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority official alleges he was fired after blowing the whistle on safety issues. (Boston Globe)
- Bike and pedestrian improvements will probably wind up on the chopping block as Marin County, Calif. starts work on three major thoroughfares. (Independent Journal)
- Shuttles that resemble golf carts are popping up in Oklahoma City, and officials are trying to figure out how they fit in with buses, the streetcar, e-scooters and bike-sharing. (Journal Record)
- Apple is trolling Google with a billboard touting iPhone privacy next to Alphabet subsidiary Sidewalk Labs’ data-thirsty “smart neighborhood” in Toronto. (Business Insider)
Today's Headlines
Wednesday’s Headlines
By Blake Aued
Stay in touch
Sign up for our free newsletter
More from Streetsblog USA
Friday Video: Take A Belated Valentine’s Day Trip to the Transit Paradise of Paris
Bon voyage!
February 20, 2026
Friday’s Headlines Are Over ICE
Traffic safety and transportation funding continue to get tangled up in immigration enforcement under Trump.
February 20, 2026
Talking Headways Podcast: Women Changing Cities
Chris and Melissa Bruntlett on their new book and the mobility of care work and the unpaid labor that undergirds the economy.
February 19, 2026
Thursday’s Headlines Walk Hard
Where you live probably has a lot to do with how much you walk.
February 19, 2026
When The Suburbs Want To Opt Out of Funding Regional Transit
A messy transit funding fight in Dallas may have reached a pause — but some advocates fear the détente won't hold.
February 19, 2026
Proposed E-Bike Legislation That Includes Mandatory License Plates Panned by California Safety Advocates
"I think everyone agrees there's a safety issue with motorized bikes and modified e-bikes being treated as bicycles, but based on early reviews this legislation won't solve those problems."
