Monday’s Headlines Are Already Infuriating

12:01 AM EDT on October 18, 2021

Because we live in the darkest timeline, conservatives are mocking Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg for taking paternity leave after adopting newborn twins with his husband, Chasten. (NBC News)
West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin wants means-testing and a work requirement for the child tax credit in Democrats' reconciliation bill (Axios), a demand that also threatens transit funding included in that bill and the bipartisan infrastructure bill.
Countries' current plans to cut carbon emissions mean the world will fall well short of the net-zero 2050 target. (The Guardian)
It's no secret that vehicles are getting bigger, heavier and more deadly to pedestrians and cyclists. Replacing trucks, SUVS and minivans with ordinary cars would save more than 8,000 lives a year. (Sidewalk Talk)
E-scooter companies are getting more selective about expansion as they face tougher regulations, more demanding customers and wary insurers. (Reuters)
The D.C. Metro pulled more than half its rail cars out of service after discovering safety problems. (Washington Post)
Going against national trends recognizing that jaywalking should not be a crime, the Massachusetts legislature is considering a bill to increase fines for not crossing at a crosswalk (Boston 25). On the bright side, Boston is limiting parking at large new developments (Streetsblog MASS).
A St. Louis police officer who killed a 12-year-old girl while pursuing a suspect was acquitted. (Post-Dispatch)
Portland is moving forward with new fees on drivers. (Bike Portland)
Charlotte's new long-range development plan includes denser housing in single-family neighborhoods. (Observer)
Colorado's new rule requiring greenhouse gas emissions to be taken into account for transportation projects could be a model for the nation, but it needs a stronger equity/social justice component. (NRDC)
Confused self-driving cars keep self-driving down the same San Francisco dead-end street. (KPIX)

Stay in touch

More from Streetsblog USA

Confirmed: Non-Driving Infrastructure Creates ‘Induced Demand,’ Too

Widening a highway to cure congestion is like losing weight by buying bigger pants — but thanks to the same principle of "induced demand," adding bike paths and train lines to cure climate actually works.

Kea Wilson

January 9, 2026

Today's Headlines

Friday’s Headlines Are Unsustainably Expensive

To paraphrase former New York City mayoral candidate Jimmy McMillan, the car payment is too damn high.

January 9, 2026

Talking Headways

Talking Headways Podcast: Poster Sessions at Mpact in Portland

Young professionals discuss the work they’ve been doing including designing new transportation hubs, rethinking parking and improving buses.

Jeff Wood

January 8, 2026

Streetsblog

Exploding Costs Could Doom One of America’s Greatest Highway Boondoggles

The Interstate Bridge Replacement Project and highway expansion between Oregon and Washington was already a boondoggle. Then the costs ballooned to $17.7 billion.