Wednesday’s Headlines Keep Their Promises
Unlike Uber and Lyft. (Hey, where are our flying cars?) Plus, President Biden gets an assist from the mayor of Phoenix in hyping the infrastructure bills.
By
Blake Aued
12:01 AM EDT on October 20, 2021
- President Biden will be in his hometown of Scranton today to promote Democrats’ infrastructure bills. (NBC Philadelphia)
- The bills will help cities create a sustainable future, writes Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego. (Smart Cities Dive)
- Uber and Lyft promised to end private car ownership, reduce congestion and boost transit ridership. Instead, they used venture capital to hook riders with artificially cheap prices at the expense of walking, biking and transit, and drivers wander around in empty vehicles polluting the air almost half the time. (New York Times)
- The National Transportation Safety Board is urging transit agencies to inspect their trains after finding wheel flaws that potentially led to a recent Washington, D.C. subway derailment. (Bloomberg)
- Cleveland transit agency Laketrans rolled out Ohio’s largest electric bus fleet at the dedication of a new transit center. (News 5 Cleveland)
- A St. Louis board is expected to vote soon on accepting a federal grant to restart the Loop Trolley, and the outcome is up in the air. (Post-Dispatch)
- Austin is betting big on an ambitious transit expansion to unclog roads as its population rapidly grows, but even some experts are skeptical that car-loving Texans will use what would still be a relatively skeletal system. (Reuters)
- Investors in Texas high-speed rail are forming a development company to build stations in Dallas, Houston and College Station. (Progressive Railroading)
- The Metro Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority will break ground on the city’s first bus rapid transit line next year. (Axios)
- Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker wants to spend $1.2 billion to rebuild 16 miles of I-80. (Southern Illinoisan)
- With three new light rail stations, Seattle is starting to feel like a real city. (Public Cola)
- Behold, perhaps the most egregious use of passive voice ever in describing a car crash. (WFTS)
- Wait, how did this even happen? (Fred Schultz via Twitter)
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
Friday Video: RIP, The D.C. Streetcar
Advocates are mourning the loss of the D.C. streetcar ... but they'e not entirely sad to see it die.
April 10, 2026
You’re Authorized to Read Friday’s Headlines
An important federal transportation funding bill is in the works. Here's what to look out for.
April 10, 2026
Review: ’60 Minutes’ Take On High-Speed Rail Ignored Facts And Offered Nothing New
When 60 Minutes announced a segment on high-speed rail construction in the United States,I feared the worst. What I got was unexpected.
April 9, 2026
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
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.