- Oregon Rep. Peter DeFazio, chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, won't run for re-election next year. DeFazio is known as a wonky champion of green modes of transportation and fought for much more ambitious infrastructure bills that the Senate watered down. But he represents a swing district, and Republicans are likely to take over the House after the 2022 election. (Politico)
- A federal DOT's RAISE program, which mainly funded rural roads under President Trump, is pivoting to streetcar, bike and sidewalk programs in the Biden administration. (City Lab)
- President Biden was in Minnesota on Tuesday selling the bipartisan infrastructure package. (CNN)
- A Biden administration task force is charged with identifying marginalized communities and helping them apply for infrastructure funds. (Route Fifty)
- Electric vehicles along won't be enough to stop climate change. Cities need to become less dependent on cars overall. (Fast Company)
- The transition to EVs will also be expensive, with Volkswagen alone spending $34 billion to build new battery plants and buy raw materials. (Reuters)
- Magnetic pavement could one day solve EV's range problem by recharging cars as they drive. (New York Times)
- Cities are often hostile to parents with strollers, but funding for active transportation in the Build Back Better bill could change that. (The New Republic)
- The Federal Highway Administration told Texas it can continue with design work on I-45 through Houston after suspending the project to investigate whether it violates civil rights laws. (Houston Public Media)
- Far from reaching its Vision Zero goal, Portland has had 62 fatal crashes this year, with 26 involving pedestrians, approaching the record of 30 set almost 50 years ago. (KATU)
- The infrastructure bill will boost Miami-Dade's formula funding for transit by at least 24 percent, with the possibility of other grants as well. (Miami Today)
- Baltimore has only 10 miles of separated bike lanes on 2,000 miles of roads. (Fishbowl)
- Pittsburgh is considering banning parking in bike lanes. (City Paper)
- North Carolina inexplicably cut Charlotte's state transportation funding by $7 million. (Observer)
- Sixty-six years ago Wednesday, Rosa Parks sparked the civil rights movement by refusing to give up her seat on the bus to a white man, inspiring the Montgomery bus boycott and leading to the end of segregation on public transportation. (History)
Streetsblog
Thursday’s Headlines Bid Farewell to DeFazio
By Blake Aued
Peter DeFazio (D-Oregon), chair of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Photo: Bike Portland
Stay in touch
Sign up for our free newsletter
More from Streetsblog USA
Friday Video: The London Neighborhood Where Bikes Outnumber Cars
...and how they got to that impressive milestone.
July 11, 2025
Friday’s Headlines Battle Galactus
Like the Marvel supervillain, U.S. interstate highway system seems to eat up everything in his path. A new book explores how to stop it.
July 11, 2025
New Report Shows Pedestrian Fatalities Drop — But Experts Say Not Enough
The Governors Highway Safety Association report showed a 4 percent drop in the number of pedestrian deaths last year, putting a slow on a dangerous trend — but advocates say the drop isn't nearly big enough.
July 11, 2025
Talking Headways Podcast: Localities Subsidize the State DOT
Adie Tomer of Brookings on how to improve regional coordination around infrastructure.
July 10, 2025
Five of the Ugliest Transportation Policies In the ‘Big, Beautiful’ Bill
Here's a rundown of some of the transportation provisions in the Republicans' reconciliation package, and what they might mean for your community.
July 10, 2025
Viva La Thursday’s Headlines
Why is French transit ridership up 10 percent since before the pandemic, while American transit ridership is down 23 percent?
July 10, 2025
