Friday’s Headlines From Around the Nation
Pandemic decision points, more Purple Line drama, ghost streetcars, a farewell to Segways and more are just a click away.
By
Blake Aued
12:01 AM EDT on June 26, 2020
- Catastrophes like a global pandemic permanently change society. The question is, will those changes be good or bad? Will people keep walking and biking? Will they ditch transit for cars and ditch cities for sprawling suburbs? Choices governments make now will influence those personal choices down the road. (Grist)
- A coalition called the New Partnership on Infrastructure says cities should be given more autonomy on projects and invest in small and minority-owned businesses. (Smart Cities Dive)
- As the pandemic forces cities to rethink streets, they should be giving a leg up to cargo bikes. (City Metric)
- The billions the federal government is spending to bail out airlines would be better spent on a more environmentally friendly alternative: rail travel. (Huffington Post)
- California’s high-speed rail authority is going back to the drawing board on the San Joaquin Valley line after a rebuke by the State Assembly. (Los Angeles Times)
- The consortium of companies building Maryland’s Purple Line says it will dissolve its partnership with the state if the two sides can’t reach a deal on cost overruns. (Washington Post)
- The Post also reports that the D.C. Metro is creating an independent panel to review complaints against transit police.
- Seattle’s on-again, off-again downtown streetcar project is back on hold thanks to a $400 million budget shortfall (Seattle Times). Meanwhile, the Cincinnati streetcar will keep running without passengers for the next year (WCPO).
- Pittsburgh’s 10-year bike master plan is finally ready and calls for adding 150 miles of bike lanes and trails to the existing 93 miles of bike infrastructure. (Post-Gazette)
- A group of transportation engineers is proposing a car-free bridge connecting Manhattan and Queens. (New York Times)
- Massachusetts officials have a new design for the Allston Multimodal Project that cuts the number of car lanes while adding commuter rail and a pedestrian path. (WBUR)
- Colorado Springs is offering free bike-share access to the chronically homeless. (Out There)
- The San Jose Mercury News capped off a week of reader complaints about Vision Zero by finally giving supporters of safer streets their say.
- Segway is ending production of its much-hyped and much-ridiculed personal mobility device 19 years after its introduction. (BBC)
- The director of MIT’s new Mobility Initiative will study the psychology behind how people make transportation choices.
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:
Streetsblog has migrated to a new comment system. New commenters can register directly in the comments section of any article. Returning commenters: your previous comments and display name have been preserved, but you'll need to reclaim your account by clicking "Forgot your password?" on the sign-in form, entering your email, and following the verification link to set a new password — this is required because passwords could not be carried over during the migration. For questions, contact tips@streetsblog.org.
More from Streetsblog USA
Thursday’s Headlines Live in an Endless Summer
Parts of the country are in the 80s in late October, but sure, let's spew some more methane into the air.
October 29, 2026
Could Congress’s Anti-Flock Surveillance Bill Ban Automated Traffic Enforcement, Too?
Livable streets organizers weigh in on a new anti-Flock bill.
October 29, 2026
Seattle Aims to Turn Vision Zero Dreams Into ‘Durable Law’
The stars are aligning for Seattle to make big progress on Vision Zero — but can they pass the laws that will hold city leaders to that goal?
October 28, 2026
Wednesday’s Headlines Are On the Ballot
Transit advocates have high hopes for local referendums this November.
October 28, 2026
Who Will be Left Behind if the Bus Stops Running?
Transit is a lifeline for so many people. Don't cut it.
October 27, 2026
