Monday’s Headlines Are On the Brink
If you think the traditional 80/20 highway/transit split is bad, wait until you get a load of the bipartisan infrastructure bill.
By
Blake Aued
12:01 AM EDT on July 26, 2021
- A bipartisan Senate infrastructure bill is expected to be unveiled today (The Hill). The main sticking point is transit funding — typically, 80 percent of transportation funding goes to roads and 20 percent on transit. Republicans want to spend less on transit, while Democrats have apparently given up fighting for more and just want to maintain the status quo (NBC News). Moderate Democrats are so focused on a deal that they’ll probably allow the cuts (American Prospect). But more transit funding could be rolled into a Democrat-only reconciliation bill later (Roll Call).
- Federal data shows that transit ridership is coming back, with some communities reaching 80 percent of pre-pandemic ridership. (Mass Transit
- Surprisingly, the states that spend the largest percentages of their budgets on infrastructure are mostly red, including Nebraska, Tennessee, North and South Dakota, Alaska, Utah, Texas and Arizona. But most of that money was spent on utilities and highways. (U.S. News & World Report)
- For a variety of reasons, California lawmakers are reluctant to pour more money into high-speed rail. (Cal Matters)
- Massachusetts might be the only state left in what was originally a 13-state compact to combat climate change by taxing carbon. (Boston Globe)
- A planned park built on top of I-95 in Philadelphia has been pushed back two years. (WHYY)
- Lyft is bringing self-driving cars, accompanied by backup drivers, to Austin and Miami. (KXAN)
- Bike rental shops in the South Carolina beach town of Hilton Head are reporting record bike and part thefts. (WJCL)
- Asheville residents are pushing for more bike lanes after a spate of crashes. (Citizen-Times)
- Don’t let Elon Musk anywhere near public transit. (Pop Dust)
- Tax the space billionaires, one congressman says. (Forbes)
- Why don’t more people get on bikes? Maybe it’s Hollywood’s depictions of cyclists as dorky kids or even dorkier spandex-clad adults. (Slate)
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
Trump Wants to Slash Federal Funding for Public Transit, Rail (Again)
The president’s proposed budget threatens transit projects across the country.
April 9, 2026
Thursday’s Headlines Are the Taxman
Suspending gas taxes might be politically popular, but it doesn't save drivers money and takes away funding for infrastructure.
April 9, 2026
Michigan Bill Would Require Seniors to Regularly Re-Take Their Drivers’ Tests
...but would it really make roads safer?
April 8, 2026
Wednesday’s Headlines Have Good News and Bad News
Traffic deaths are back down to their pre-pandemic levels, but there is still much work left to be done.
April 8, 2026
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
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.