- The big news Sunday was that Sen. Joe Manchin came out against the Build Back Better program (Politico), crushing hopes of passing the Biden administration's climate change agenda (New York Times) because of Manchin's misguided criticisms of the bill (NPR). Here's a rather symbolic video of Manchin nudging his Maserati through a group of climate protestors (Twitter).
- The Federal Highway Administration issued new guidelines that, for the first time, will nudge state DOTs away from building freeways and toward more environmentally sustainable projects. (Wired, Streetsblog USA)
- Alphabet's "smart city" subsidiary, Sidewalk Labs, will wind down and be folded into Google after CEO Dan Doctoroff announced he's stepping down for health reasons. (Tech Crunch)
- Amtrak CEO Bill Flynn, who guided the company through the pandemic and the Biden administration's ambitious expansion plans, is retiring. (RT&S)
- Washington, D.C. parents are pleading for street safety improvements and a crackdown on dangerous drivers after a recent spate of children being run over. (Washington Post)
- A new Colorado requiring the state DOT to consider projects' effect on climate change could divert billions away from roads and toward greener transportation. (Colorado Public Radio)
- Houston groups have filed a federal complaint seeking to halt the I-45 widening on the grounds that it violates civil rights laws. (Chronicle)
- After the Federal Transit Administration said Boston's fare-free pilot project violates federal rules, Mayor Michelle Wu took her case directly to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, but it doesn't appear that she had any luck (CommonWealth). Meanwhile, a bill dropping minimum parking requirements for affordable housing passed the Boston city council and landed on Wu's desk (Globe).
- Austin blog Towers takes a deep dive into a proposal to ban cars on The Drag, a student-oriented, bus- and pedestrian-heavy stretch of road near the University of Texas.
- San Francisco Mayor London Breed is floating a $400 million bond referendum to modernize transit agency Muni. (SFist)
- Seattle Mayor-elect Brett Harrell plans to replace the head of the city's DOT, Sam Zimbabwe. (West Seattle Blog)
- A Milwaukee choir group hopped aboard The Hop streetcar to spread holiday cheer. (Journal Sentinel)
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
