Tuesday’s Headlines to Celebrate A Great Tuesday
Lots of news coming out of "Amtrak Joe" Biden's transition. Plus all the other stuff that happened yesterday.
By
Blake Aued
12:01 AM EST on December 8, 2020
Don’t forget our December donation drive! Plus all the news:
- “Amtrak Joe” Biden’s well-known love for trains may be the U.S.’s best chance to catch up with the rest of the world on rail, but high construction costs and Republican obstruction could temper his ambitious plans. (City Monitor)
- With biking and walking on the upswing and delivery trucks clogging city streets, President Biden will face new challenges when it comes to infrastructure. Technology will help, and the solutions are comparatively cheap. (Next City)
- Call the irony department! Uber fights any legislation that would define its drivers as employees, but the tech taxi giant wants the CDC to declare those very same drivers essential workers so they’re near the front of line for a COVID-19 vaccine. (CNBC)
- A driver-owned ride-hailing startup is hoping to compete with Uber and Lyft in New York City while paying a living wage. (NPR)
- The Bay Area’s myriad agencies make the transit system confusing and unreliable, but simplifying it will be a heavy lift politically. (San Francisco Examiner)
- The South Phoenix light rail extension won $638 million in federal grants to complete the project. (KTAR)
- Cleveland is full of wide, fast and deadly roads. With limited funding and state control over highways, the city is making slow progress toward Vision Zero. (Cleveland Magazine)
- Mayor John Cranley says Cincinnati will have the most pedestrian-friendly downtown in the Midwest after he makes temporary outdoor dining spaces permanent. (WLWT)
- St. Paul’s 20 miles of new bike infrastructure are the culmination of decades of planning. (MinnPost)
- On-demand transit is spreading to new cities and gaining new riders in Canada. (CBC)
- China will build more than 6,000 miles of passenger rail in the next five years. (Reuters)
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.