- E-scooters might be good for air quality and easing traffic congestion, but they’re apparently a public health problem, thanks to relatively high speeds, a high center of gravity, and inability to handle rough roads and a proclivity to block sidewalks (The Hill). The New York Times’ David Leonhardt concurs, calling on scooters to be banned from sidewalks because they’re a threat to pedestrians. Reminder: Cars kill tens of thousands of innocent bystanders every year, which is itself a public health crisis. Scooters have killed a few scooter riders.
- Miles driven per person in the U.S. is up since 2013, but still below the all-time high in 2004. (Green Car Congress)
- Washington, D.C. area leaders are relying on transit-oriented development to house the 1.5 million people who are expected to move to the region in the next 25 years. (WTOP)
- What will Sacramento voters get if they approve a half-cent sales tax for transportation in 2020? Two new bridges, light rail, Vision Zero safety improvements, an upgraded Amtrak station and “managed lanes” on freeways for carpools, buses and zero-emissions vehicles, among other things. (Bee)
- RIP Alejandra Agredo, an influential advocate for Miami transit, despite being just 17 years old. The founder of the Miami Riders Alliance, who designed a new transit pass and developed software to track all modes of transit in Miami-Dade, Agredo struggled with depression and stepped in front of a train last week. (Herald)
- Lyft e-bikes pulled from New York City over a brake problem have been stripped of their electric parts and reintroduced as pedal-only bikes in Chicago. (Smart Cities Dive)
- Providence is moving ahead with more two-way bike lanes after initially creating one and then undoing it when residents complained. (WPRI)
- The University of Miami may be an official bike-friendly campus, but students cite rough roads and lack of parking as impediments to pedaling. (Hurricane)
- It looks like delivery cargo e-bikes are coming to New York City. (Streetsblog)
- Conservative Seattle talk-radio host Todd Herman calls for “civil disobedience” if the $30 car tab fee recently approved by voters is struck down in court. (KIRO)
- Beware of “vomit fraud”: Uber drivers in Cleveland and elsewhere are charging riders to clean up messes they didn’t actually cause. (WPTV)
- Toronto’s supposed Vision Zero program is a deadly morass of gaslighting and victim-blaming. (Treehugger)
- All right, so it’s not exactly transportation, per se, but Decider’s takedown of that viral Peloton ad is still worth a shout out.
Today's Headlines
Wednesday’s Headlines
By Blake Aued
Stay in touch
Sign up for our free newsletter
More from Streetsblog USA
Friday Video: Should We Stop Calling Them ‘Low-Traffic Neighborhoods’?
Is it time for London's game-changing urban design concept to get a rebrand?
January 30, 2026
Friday’s Headlines Yearn to Breathe Free
While EVs aren't the be-all end-all, especially when it comes to traffic safety, they do make the air cleaner. Most of the U.S. is falling behind on their adoption, though.
January 30, 2026
Talking Headways Podcast: One Year of Congestion Pricing
Danny Pearlstein of New York City's Riders Alliance breaks down how advocates made congestion pricing happen in the Big Apple.
January 29, 2026
Improving Road Safety Is A Win For The Climate, Too
Closing the notorious "fatality target" loophole wouldn't just save lives — it'd help save the human species from climate catastrophe, too.
January 29, 2026
Delivery Workers Are the Safest Cyclists On the Road, Study Finds
Deliveristas are less likely to engage in roadway behaviors that endanger pedestrians or themselves. So why are they so villainized?
The Cup Runneth Over With Thursday’s Headlines
Density lends itself to an abundance of transportation options and an abundance of money saved by not driving, writes David Zipper.
January 29, 2026
