Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In
Streetsblog

Monday’s Headlines Are Going to Get Away for a Few Days

Adams Morgan neighborhood, 1970s. Image: Nancy Shia via Smithsonian

The morning headlines are taking a few days off to celebrate the holidays, but will return on Dec. 30. In the meantime, here are some stories to help you avoid talking to your family, or bolster your arguments.

    • The Biden administration is taking aim at freeway projects that divided and destroyed Black communities. (Climate Wire)
    • The absurdly high cost of transportation projects in the U.S. means the $1.2 trillion infrastructure law won't fund as much as you think. (City Lab)
    • American drivers are addicted to speeding, and they really floored it when streets emptied out during the pandemic. (Slate)
    • That's not the only problem, though: People are drinking more, using more drugs and engaging in more reckless behavior as a result of the pandemic, which means the recent spike in traffic deaths might be here to stay. (Los Angeles Times)
    • Affordable, reliable transportation is a huge obstacle keeping many students from finishing college. (Hechinger Report)
    • Greater Greater Washington explains congestion pricing.
    • Toyota is the last automaker still experimenting with hydrogen fuel cells, which are more expensive and complicated than batteries. The reason has to do with Japan's Fukushima nuclear disaster, which led the country to start converting coal into "blue hydrogen" through an environmentally damaging process. (BBC)
    • Robert Moses is one of the great villains of modern urban planning, but without the stifling rules activists like Jane Jacobs put into place in response to his megalomania, it would be a lot easier to fix Penn Station. (The Week)
    • No, bike lanes don't cause congestion, but news outlets keep telling you they do because it's good for clicks. (The New Statesman)
    • Follow along as Alex Wolfe walks through America's dystopian car-centric hellscape. (Grist)
    • Looking for some videos to pass the time? Urban Review has you covered with a list of the top climate change YouTube channels.
    • In New York City, this year will be the year that deliveristas get better working conditions, according to Gothamist.
    • Finally, it is with sadness that we mention that Bishop Desmond Tutu has died (NY Times). In addition to his well-known integrity, dignity, courage and moral clarity, he was also a fan of cycling, once quipping, "Give a man a fish and feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and feed him for a lifetime. Teach a man to cycle and he will realize fishing is stupid and boring." (Seriously.)

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Friday Video: Are We All Living in a ‘Carspiracy’?

How does "car-brain" shape the way we think about the world — even in relatively bike-friendly countries like the U.K.?

July 26, 2024

Friday’s Headlines Share and Share Alike

Bikeshares, and e-bikes and scooters generally, are becoming more popular. That's led to more injuries, highlighting the need for better infrastructure.

July 26, 2024

What the Heck is Going on With the California E-Bike Incentive Program?

The program's launch has been delayed for two years, and currently "there is no specific timeline" for it. Plus the administrator, Pedal Ahead, is getting dragged, but details are vague.

July 26, 2024

Talking Headways Podcast: Have Cities Run Out of Land?

Chris Redfearn of USC and Anthony Orlando of Cal Poly Pomona on why "pro-business" Texas housing markets are catching up to "pro-regulation" California and what it might mean for future city growth.

July 25, 2024

The Paris Plan for Olympic Traffic? Build More Bike Lanes

A push to make Paris fully bikable for the Olympics is already paying dividends long before the opening ceremonies.

July 25, 2024
See all posts