Tuesday’s Headlines From Around the Nation
For 70 years, transportation planners have been using a flawed model to justify more highway lanes. Click here for that story and more.
By
Blake Aued
12:01 AM EDT on August 25, 2020
- For 70 years, transportation planners have been using a flawed model to “prove” the need for more lanes and win federal highway funds, but the formula dramatically overestimates future traffic volume because it doesn’t take into account induced demand. (Vice)
- Uber and Lyft’s legal battle with California could drag on for months. (Tech Crunch)
- In 50 of the largest cities in the U.S., it’s easier to get to work by bike than transit. But this doesn’t seem to mean that these cities’ bike infrastructure is good so much as their transit systems are mostly bad. (New Geography)
- Rep. G.K. Butterfield (D-N.C.) said during an Axios event on the future of transportation that the federal government should prioritize mass transit to help cities and states recover from the pandemic.
- The Federal Transit Administration has launched a new forum for transit agencies to exchange ideas about pandemic recovery. (Progressive Railroading)
- Portland elected officials and transit advocates have a fight on their hands as they seek to sell a $7 billion transportation package to voters. Business lobbying groups oppose the plan because it would be funded by payroll taxes. (Oregonian)
- Austin’s $7 billion Project Connect isn’t the only transit plan on the ballot in Texas this November. Voters in San Antonio and Pflugerville will also decide on transit referendums. (Land Line)
- Federal regulators gave preliminary approval for a New York City rail link to LaGuardia Airport that’s been decades in the making. (NBC New York)
- The Twin Cities’ Metro Transit will return to mostly normal bus service in September. (WCCO)
- Maryland’s transportation secretary denied claims made by Purple Line contractors related to cost overruns on the light rail project. (Bethesda Magazine)
- A hearing in a lawsuit seeking to stop the expansion of I-30 through Little Rock resumes Wednesday. (Democrat-Gazette)
- Pasadena cyclists took to the streets to protest the police shooting of Black man Anthony McClain. (Star-News)
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
Every Friday’s Headline Is Sacred
When transit funds are wasted, God gets quite irate.
October 16, 2026
Friday Video: When Walkability Isn’t Enough … Even in the Great Cities of Europe
What happens when livable places get overwhelmingly popular before we can build more of them — or when other failures of design and governance make them bad places to live?
October 16, 2026
Newsom Signs Bill to Better Align California Transportation Spending With Climate Goals
SB 1087 updates California’s landmark sustainable communities law, strengthening the connection between regional climate plans and transportation investments.
October 15, 2026
Talking Headways Podcast: The Passion Problem in Public Transit
Where should the most enthusiastic supporters of transit try to work?
October 15, 2026
Thursday’s Headlines Are Trouble for Tesla
Autonomous vehicles just can't seem to behave themselves.
October 15, 2026
