Monday’s Headlines Because We’re Doing This
It's Amtrak week! Plus other news.
By
Blake Aued
12:01 AM EDT on May 3, 2021
- On Amtrak’s 50th birthday, President Biden pushed for an $80-billion investment in passenger rail, including high-speed lines connecting Charlotte and Atlanta, Chicago and Detroit, Los Angeles and Las Vegas and more. (Politico)
- Over the weekend, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and First Gentleman Doug Emhoff visited Raleigh (WRAL) and Buttigieg rode Amtrak with “Weekend Today” to talk up Biden’s infrastructure plan.
- Spending $1 trillion on infrastructure would create 1.2 million jobs and put $1,800 in the average family’s pocket. (The Hill)
- The “open streets” movement during the pandemic has led cities to rethink what roads are for. (City Lab)
- Cities are too reliant on parking for revenue. (Next City)
- Nashville is a big city now and quickly getting expensive. Approving Mayor John Cooper’s $1.6-billion transit plan would keep residents from having to choose between transportation and affordable housing. (WKRN)
- Charlotte is tweaking the route for the future Silver Line. (WFAE)
- St. Paul is considering doing away with minimum parking requirements for new developments (Star Tribune). Pittsburgh is also considering easing off-street parking requirements, as well as limiting curb cuts (Trib Live)
- Jacksonville city council members who are opposed to a proposed gas-tax increase to fund a Skyway expansion and other transportation projects want to put the hike before voters. (Daily Record)
- Dallas approved its first-ever transportation plan. (Morning News)
- Everything you wanted to know about Philadelphia’s Indego bike-share but were afraid to ask. (Citizen)
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
Friday Video: Inside the Global Far-Right Push To Rip Out Bike Lanes
Toronto might be in the center of the fight to resist bike lane teardown today. But if some far-right politicians have their way, this fight won't be the last.
October 23, 2026
Friday’s Headlines Shoot Themselves in the Foot
Gas taxes pay for transit, too, so what happens when politicians pander to voters, and the highway trust fund runs dry?
October 23, 2026
Talking Headways Podcast: A More Humanized Experience in Honolulu
If we look transit just as a distance issue, but as a time issue, performance should be discussed as one big whole.
October 22, 2026
Our Best Bet To Confront Climate Change in the Trump Era? Build More Apartments
Most climate strategies are hamstrung by Washington and culture wars across the country. But zoning reform may be the exception.
October 22, 2026
What ‘Flying Cars’ Could Mean For US Car Culture
Would fleets of flying cars be a dystopian nightmare, or a chance to create more walkable cities on the ground?
October 22, 2026