Thursday’s Headlines Have Some Good News
The U.S. and global outlook may be bleak, but many cities are embracing better transportation policies.
By
Blake Aued
12:01 AM EDT on September 2, 2021
- Climate change plans often overrate electric vehicles by ignoring the pollution from generating electricity, overstating the speed by which EVs will replace fossil fuels, and underestimating peoples’ desire for cars. (Planetizen)
- Despite a recent survey’s findings to the contrary, Wired thinks the 15-minute city is finally having its moment.
- Cool grandad Donald Shoup does his thing again — shaming cities over free parking. (Bloomberg)
- DART’s overhaul will mean most bus riders will experience fewer waits and easier transfers. (Dallas Morning News)
- The Texas DOT should invest its I-45 funds in transit and bike lanes. (Houston Chronicle)
- Could Elon Musk build one of his tunnels under water-logged and unstable South Florida? Maybe. But at the very least it would be a lot harder and cost a lot more than he’s letting on. (Smart Cities Dive)
- D.C. Metro train operators are prone to fatigue. (Washington Post)
- Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot is turning to Uber and Lyft after public school bus drivers quit en masse over a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for city employees. (Sun-Times)
- Charlotte’s Gold Line streetcar is officially open. (WFAE)
- This is a great time to extend Minneapolis’ Midtown Greenway. (MinnPost)
- Pittsburgh is now allowing e-bikes on buses and trains. (City Paper)
- A Phoenix city council member is calling for fare-free transit. (KJZZ)
- Clearwater, Florida, scuttled a development deal because city officials said it had too much parking. (Tampa Bay Times)
- Birmingham’s transit authority has a new CEO. (Al.com)
- North Dakota police are cracking down on distracted driving this month. (Bismarck Tribune)
- Here’s a cool vision of what passenger rail in Washington state could look like. (The Urbanist)
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
New E-Mobility Study Actually Reveals Need For Safer Streets, Not E-Bike Crackdowns
A new look into emergency room data at one Manhattan hospital shows a need for more infrastructure, despite what you might have read elsewhere.
April 24, 2026
Friday’s Headlines Thrive With Women in Charge
Mayors like Barcelona's Ada Colau, Montreal's Valerie Plante and Anne Hidalgo in Paris transformed their cities.
April 24, 2026
Talking Headways Podcast: The Urban Truth Collective
Tom Flood, Grant Ennis and Brent Toderian of the Urban Truth Collective discuss pushing back on falsehoods and conspiracies through positive messaging around cities.
April 23, 2026
Thursday’s Headlines Shout, Shout, Let It All Out
A public input process that engages all stakeholders early on but doesn't drag out is the key to holding down costs for transit projects, according to the Urban Institute.
April 23, 2026
Judge Blocks Trump Admin’s Attempt to Demolish D.C. Bike Lane
But advocates across America aren't letting their guard down about the future of sustainable infrastructure in their own communities.
April 23, 2026