Friday’s Headlines
American cities should follow European cities’ lead by making streets multimodal, implementing congestion pricing, establishing car-free zones, eliminating on-street parking and boosting transit. (Curbed) Yonah Freemark highlights 20 North American transit projects set to open in 2020, including rail lines in Denver, Miami, Honolulu, Washington, D.C. and San Francisco, and bus rapid transit in Houston, … Continued
By
Blake Aued
12:01 AM EST on January 31, 2020
- American cities should follow European cities’ lead by making streets multimodal, implementing congestion pricing, establishing car-free zones, eliminating on-street parking and boosting transit. (Curbed)
- Yonah Freemark highlights 20 North American transit projects set to open in 2020, including rail lines in Denver, Miami, Honolulu, Washington, D.C. and San Francisco, and bus rapid transit in Houston, Omaha and Albany. (Transport Politic)
- Transportation for America likes House Democrats’ infrastructure bill because it focuses on repairs over new construction and puts funding into passenger rail. Streetsblog also weighed in with mostly praise for the plan.
- The Federal Transit Administration is offering $130 million in grants for low- and no-emissions buses. (Transportation Today)
- Lyft is laying off 90 employees in an effort to become profitable. (Tech Crunch)
- Carmel, Indiana has found the secret to keeping drivers from killing people: roundabouts. The city has installed 120 since 1996, and the traffic death rate has fallen to one-sixth the national average. (Smart Cities Dive)
- A San Antonio plan to shift sales tax revenue from aquifer protection to transit won’t require a water rate hike, Mayor Ron Nirenberg says (KSAT). According to one poll, 65% of voters support the measure (Rivard Report).
- Florida’s Brightline has killed 40 people in its first two years of operation, making it the nation’s deadliest railroad. (NPR)
- Wake County, North Carolina is spending $114 million to improve transit, including a bus rapid transit line in Raleigh and new transfer stations. (News & Observer)
- St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson wants a bi-state agency to reconsider its decision not to restart the Loop Trolley because the city could owe the feds $25 million if it remains shut down. (Post-Dispatch)
- Nearby residents are opposed to a plan to build toll lanes on I-285 in Atlanta, saying it will create more noise and traffic, and require the Georgia DOT to acquire private property. The state should be investing in transit instead, some told the AJC.
- A new study out of Australia confirms what you probably already knew: Cities with strong transit and short blocks with low speeds are the safest. (Futurity)
Blake Aued has been doing Streetsblog's daily national news digest for years. He's also an Atlanta Braves fan, which enrages his editor in New York.
Read More:
More from Streetsblog USA
How To Push A Livable Streets Project Forward — Even in the Era of Federal Clawbacks
A livable streets superstar is launching a new organization to push forward some of America's most iconic sustainable streets projects — even if Congress is clawing back their funding
April 7, 2026
Tuesday’s Headlines Take an Axe to Transit
The Trump administration wants to cut transit and rail funding to help pay for the war against Iran.
April 7, 2026
The Financial Costs of the Pedestrian Death Crisis Are Still Stratospheric
The human costs of the pedestrian death crisis are unacceptable even as deaths begin to fall. And the financial costs aren't any better.
April 6, 2026
Monday’s Headlines Only Hurt Ourselves
Climate change has cost global economies tens of trillions of dollars. The U.S. is both the biggest culprit and biggest victim.
April 6, 2026
State Bill Would Stop Highway Expansions Near Vulnerable New Yorkers
Assembly Member Emerita Torres's Stop Highway Community Harm Act would ban the state from expanding highways within 200 feet of public housing or in ZIP codes with the highest asthma-related emergency room visits in the state.
April 3, 2026
Comments Are Temporarily Disabled
Streetsblog is in the process of migrating our commenting system. During this transition, commenting is temporarily unavailable.
Once the migration is complete, you will be able to log back in and will have full access to your comment history. We appreciate your patience and look forward to having you back in the conversation soon.