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

Wednesday’s Headlines Are Too Thrifty to Drive

You’d probably pay as much for a used Civic now as these sports cars cost two years ago. Photo: MD111/Flickr

    • That old muffler ad is obsolete — you are gonna pay a lot for it. While everyone complains about inflation, a closer look reveals that much of the overall increase in prices is attributable to cars. The cost of owning an automobile rose 23 percent last year. (Eno Center for Transportation)
    • Once again, consumers' insatiable demand for the higher hoods and heavier weight of ever-bigger trucks and SUVs is deadly for anyone who happens to be standing in their way. These vehicles rarely come with live-saving technology that could mitigate their enormous blind spots. (Consumer Reports)
    • Even the traditionally Republican-leaning U.S. Chamber of Commerce is now in favor of transportation equity.
    • The U.S. DOT announced a $27 billion bridge repair and replacement program, funded by the infrastructure act (Traffic Technology). Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg launched the program in Pennsylvania (Fox 43).
    • Seattle police will no longer stop drivers and cyclists for minor infractions like cracked windshields and not wearing a helmet, recognizing that the fines fall disproportionately on people without the ability to pay them. (Public Cola)
    • A new Massachusetts law will force reluctant suburbs to change their zoning policies to subsidize affordable housing near transit stops. (Streetsblog MASS)
    • A transgender man in Denver says he was beaten up at a light-rail stop and kicked out of an Uber on the same night. (Metro Weekly)
    • Nashville residents are calling for justice on Dickerson Pike after a driver killed a third person in the past year. (News Channel 5)
    • Berkeley is shifting road-paving funding from major arterials to neighborhood streets in "equity zones" encompassing less wealthy neighborhoods. (Berkeleyside)
    • Some Portlanders spent the MLK Day of Service sweeping up debris from bike lanes. (Bike Portland)
    • Buttigieg told CBS News that fatherhood — he and his husband, Chasten, recent adopted infant twins — has given him a new sense of urgency. Any parent can relate.

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
See all posts