It’s Not Easy Being Green, or Tuesday’s Headlines
While President Biden's has long-range plans to tackle climate change, in the short term he's embracing pro-car policies for political gain.
By
Blake Aued
12:01 AM EDT on August 17, 2021
- The Biden administration talks a good game on climate change, but its short-term policies are focused on bringing gas prices down, which will encourage more driving. (Politico)
- Senators are spending the August recess in their home states either touting or demonizing the infrastructure bill. (Bloomberg)
- The federal government should fund transit at the same level as highways, because cities can’t afford to build transit projects by themselves. (Natural Resources Defense Council)
- The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration is investigating Tesla because vehicles on autopilot have hit emergency vehicles at least 11 times. (CNN)
- A New Orleans native and architectural critic documents how the Claiborne Expressway erased a vibrant Black neighborhood. (Washington Post)
- Some New Yorkers who bought cars during the pandemic will go back to public transit, but unfortunately others have fallen in love with them. (Car and Driver)
- With ridership down 90 percent on commuter rail, Virginia Railway Express could become something more like a second D.C. Metro. (Virginia Mercury)
- Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a bill fast-tracking high-speed rail between Chicago and St. Louis. (Smart Cities Dive)
- Philadelphia transit agency SEPTA is testing two bus-only lanes in Center City. (WHYY)
- We love to see parking garages repurposed — but not as COVID wards. (Jackson Clarion-Ledger)
- Sound Transit is partnering with the city of Seattle on a community of tiny homes for low-income residents. (Progressive Railroading)
- Detroit’s MoGo is using community outreach and education about safe biking and its health benefits to overcome skepticism about bike-shares in neighborhoods of color. (Shareable)
- Aspen’s WE-cycle is piloting solar-powered e-bike chargers. (Denver Post)
- Low-rise but high-density cities like Paris are in the best position to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, according to a CU Boulder study. (Phys.org)
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
Why Cities Need More ‘Agile’ Streets
When projects are routed through a full capital-improvement workflow, solutions tend toward expensive, permanent interventions — not alternatives that might achieve 80 percent of the benefit at 10 percent of the cost.
March 26, 2026
Wednesday’s Headlines Feel Pain at the Pump
High gas prices are likely to persist, and people will be driving less in response.
March 25, 2026
D.C. Advocates Sue To Save Key Bike Lane From Trump Teardown
We previously reported that the Trump administration might soon move to dismantle key cycle tracks in the nation's capital. Unfortunately, we were right.
March 24, 2026
How a ‘Universal Basic Neighborhood’ Can Help Americans Live Longer
Want to increase your chances of living to 80? A new paper argues we need to start with our neighborhoods — and we need to do it for everybody.
March 24, 2026
Tuesday’s Headlines Keep Our Eyes on the Road
How much responsibility do tech companies bear for traffic deaths caused by distracted driving?
March 24, 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.