- Massachusetts congressman and noted train fanatic Seth Moulton wants to spend $205 billion on high-speed rail, including lines linking Chicago and Atlanta, Los Angeles and San Francisco, Dallas and Houston, and Portland and Vancouver. (Wired)
- Social distancing is leading to a new vision of permanently pedestrian-friendly cities with better sidewalks, shared streets and more public space. (The City Fix)
- Race and class are often missing from the debate when people talk about how to redesign cities in the wake of COVID-19. (Curbed)
- Bike commuting is up 20 percent over the past decade, much of that increase due to bike-shares, according to a University of Washington study. (MinnPost)
- Scooter companies are testing remote-controlled scooters in Georgia in hopes that the technology will be more convenient — riders can bring the devices to them — and reduce sidewalk clutter. (The Verge)
- The pandemic delivery boom is accelerating a shift in the autonomous vehicle industry from moving people to moving packages. (Reuters)
- Uber and Lyft have long used venture capital to subsidize rides in an effort to win market share, but those days might be ending. Rising ride-hailing prices could drive people back to transit. (Quartz)
- President Trump has taken to “announcing” transit grants on Twitter that were actually awarded weeks ago. (SFGATE)
- Virgin Trains says it won’t restart passenger rail service in Florida for months. (Bloomberg)
- Portland voters extended a gas tax that goes toward maintaining streets and safety improvements. (KATU)
- Detroit’s MoGo bike share is expanding into the suburbs next month. (Daily Detroit)
- Six years later, Pittsburgh drivers still hate the Penn Avenue bike lanes, but data shows they’re drastically improved safety. (Bike PGH)
- Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s coronavirus hot takes are costing him his loyal fan club. (The Atlantic)
High-speed rail
Friday’s Headlines From Around the Nation
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
