- 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)
Streetsblog
Monday’s Headlines Are Snatchin’ Manchin
Stay in touch
Sign up for our free newsletter
More from Streetsblog USA
Tuesday’s Headlines Are Psyched About Bikes
NACTO's new Urban Bikeway Design Guide tackles the politics of bike lanes in addition to the engineering challenges.
Video: Why We Need a Global Freeway Fighters’ Network
A terrible project in Berlin shows the need for a global network to support local freeway fighters everywhere.
House Bill Would Make Auto-Braking Rules Stronger to Protect Cyclists
Let's make America brake again!
What’s Missing From the Safe Systems Approach
Safe streets, road users, speeds, vehicles, and post-crash care have long been held up as the five pillars of the "safe systems" approach to ending road deaths. One state DOT, though, recently added a sixth one — and their outgoing secretary thinks it's key to saving lives.
Monday’s Headlines Don’t Go Small
How is transit that only moves a few people at a time that different from personal cars, except at public expense?