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

Tuesday’s Headlines: to Fare-Free or Not Fare-Free?

    • As incoming Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass decides whether to make transit fare-free (L.A. Times), The Atlantic argues that transit agencies should keep charging for the bus until governments can deliver better services.
    • Shailen Bhatt won confirmation as administrator of the Federal Highway Administration by telling skeptical senators that he's fine with road-widening projects. (Washington Post)
    • Autonomous vehicles are blocking traffic, driving on sidewalks and otherwise causing havoc in San Francisco, and California officials won't do anything about it. (Slate)
    • Maintaining sidewalks should be a pretty basic function of municipal government, but outgoing Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti utterly failed at this task. (Curbed)
    • Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell is calling for more Safe Routes to School, zero-emissions delivery vehicles and more ambitious climate policies. (Seattle Bike Blog)
    • The opening of a Tacoma light rail line has been pushed back from spring to fall of 2023. (KING)
    • Maryland governor-elect Wes Moore pledged to revive the Red Line, a Baltimore light rail line his predecessor, Larry Hogan, spiked in 2015. (City Lab)
    • The head of Chicago's transit system says it needs more public investment and can no longer rely so much on fares. (Smart Cities Dive)
    • Milwaukee is using strategically placed posts to extend curbs and slow down drivers. (Urban Milwaukee)
    • Short-story vending machines are among the many delights of riding transit in Philadelphia. (Billy Penn)
    • If a bus and a train had a baby, it would be Adelaide, Australia's O-Bahn. (The Drive)

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

‘Gateway’ Drug: Trump Is Holding the Second Avenue Subway Hostage

The president blocked funds for the Second Avenue Subway during the government shutdown in October — and the MTA has still not received the money, sources said.

January 28, 2026

‘Kavanaugh Stops’ Are Making Streets More Dangerous

In Minneapolis, ICE agents have killed more people than violent drivers so far in 2026, according to Minnesota's crash database.

January 28, 2026

A Few Legal Tweaks Could Unlock A Mother Lode of Housing Near Transit

It's time to help communities use federal financing to build housing near transit, a new bill argues.

January 28, 2026

Do Wednesday’s Headlines Dream of Electric Sheep?

It's OK if the computer writing federal transportation safety rules hallucinates a bit, right?

January 28, 2026

What’s A Transportation Reformer’s Role In the Fight Against ICE Violence?

Migrants and protestors are being killed in the streets by ICE agents. What should transportation reform advocates do?

January 27, 2026

Tuesday’s Headlines Become More Affordable

Cities can help residents cut their average $13,000 annual transportation costs.

January 27, 2026
See all posts