- Carbon emissions rose faster than expected in 2021, outpacing the economic recovery from the pandemic. People are driving again, and utilities burned more coal for electricity because natural gas prices are high. That will make it harder to hit President Biden's overall climate goals. (CNN)
- Biden is facing an increasingly narrow path to pass the Build Back Better bill, which contains $555 billion to curb climate change (New York Times). The bill remains in limbo, with talks with pivotal vote Sen. Joe Manchin stalled out and Biden pivoting to voting rights (E&E News).
- Some good news: Even as they age into their 30s and 40s, millennials are still driving less than Gen Xers and younger Baby Boomers. (Quartz)
- Governing interviewed a University of Michigan sociologist about how government and foundation funding for things like transit often benefit neighborhoods that already have money over communities with greater need where investment is seen as riskier.
- Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti's goal of zero traffic deaths by 2025 increasingly looks out of reach, with drivers killing 20 percent more people last year than 2020 or 2019. (L.A. Times)
- Washington, D.C. also followed the national trend, with traffic deaths rising to their highest point since 2007. (DCist)
- Like many cities, Atlanta is hoping to use $1 billion set aside in the infrastructure bill to dismantle or bury urban freeways that slice through Black neighborhoods. (AJC)
- The Texas DOT's latest plan for widening I-35 through Austin calls for putting the freeway below grade, allowing for more pedestrian crossings, and lowering speed limits on frontage roads. But the project will still add lanes. (KUT)
- Dallas Area Rapid Transit will be offering free rides for a week when it launches its revamped bus network Jan. 24. Why not go fare-free permanently? (D Magazine)
- Portland is eyeing a $12.5 billion bridge replacement fund in the federal infrastructure package to expand the city's bike network. (Bike Portland)
- Predictably, Elon Musk's tunnel for Teslas and a self-driving car demo both flopped in Las Vegas last weekend. (Curbed)
Stay in touch
Sign up for our free newsletter
More from Streetsblog USA
Wednesday’s Headlines Are Graded on a Curve
Maybe one reason the U.S. has so many traffic deaths is that it's so easy to get a driver's license compared to other countries.
November 12, 2025
Is Rad Power Bikes Riding into the Sunset?
November 12, 2025
GOP Pol: ‘No Money for Bikes or Walking’ in Fed Transportation Bill
The outlook for active transportation won't be good if advocates don't stand up.
November 12, 2025
Mobility in Rural America: How India’s Popular Transportation Can Be A Model For US Transit Deserts
Lower ridership after Covid, combined with ongoing transit budget cuts, has caused a significant decrease in frequent and reliable public transit service for small and rural communities. Here's one way to fill the gap.
November 11, 2025
Tuesday’s Headlines Are Burning Up
On climate change, the gap is growing between what governments are promising and doing, and neither is enough.
November 11, 2025
We Haven’t Saved Transit Yet: What Comes After Chicago’s Fiscal Cliff
On its own, more funding averts short-term disaster, but does nothing to solve our longer term transit issues. And while the governance reforms could lead to better service, there’s no guarantee of that.
