Friday’s Headlines Are Falling Apart
The infrastructure bill(s) were never perfect, but now they might never happen at all. Plus ... oh, who cares.
By
Blake Aued
12:01 AM EDT on October 1, 2021
- As of this writing, the entire infrastructure package — transit, Amtrak, Complete Streets, highways, warts and all — is in question. Speaker Nancy Pelosi caved to progressives and postponed a House vote on the bipartisan infrastructure bill (Politico), leaving the whole two-bill spending package in disarray, with conservative Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin demanding that Democrats cut their reconciliation bill by an additional $2 trillion (Associated Press) and progressives ridiculing his demands (ABC News). But don’t blame this entirely on Democrats: They didn’t have a lot of help (CNN).
- The pandemic has laid bare the role transit plays in equity and sustainability. (Government Technology)
- A startup called Via is taking the ride-hailing model and applying it to microtransit. Fares are low, but it’s backed by Shell, and it’s also in line to potentially win federal transit funding. (Forbes)
- Next City makes the case that buses should be free, because it’s a public good, and it benefits us all whether we ride it or not.
- E-bikes are currently more popular in Europe, but they’re about to start flooding the U.S. market. (Axios)
- Private company Fortress is finalizing plans to finance an $8 billion high-speed rail line between Southern California and Las Vegas. (Bloomberg)
- Officials in the Milwaukee suburbs are asking the county to provide more transit service to connect jobs and workers, but race remains a hurdle. (WUWM)
- Chicago announced plans to install or upgrade 100 miles of bike lanes by the end of next year. (Cities Today,
- Austin is halfway toward its goal of building 400 miles of bike lanes by 2025. (Monitor)
- San Antonio is installing 28 new mid-block crosswalks. (KSAT)
- Hampton Roads Transit is seeking public input on expanded light rail and bus rapid transit in Norfolk. (Virginian-Pilot)
- Syracuse has a new bike-share program that also includes e-scooters. (Post-Standard)
- Arizona State, Tempe and 3M are partnering to create cooler bus shelters. (The State Press)
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
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
Opinion: Adding Parking to Sports Stadiums Makes It Harder for Everyone To Get Around
A Chicago advocate makes the case against expanding car storage at Cubs games.
March 23, 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.