- Downtown offices that have been sitting empty since the pandemic started could be converted into new housing near transit, but experts say that in many cases, retrofitting them would cost more than just building new housing. (New York Times)
- A new study found that world leaders give up too easily on raising gas taxes and reducing subsidies to oil and gas companies, both policies that discourage driving. (Sci Tech Daily)
- According to U.S. Census data, Cheyenne, Detroit, Boise, Wichita, D.C., Atlanta, New York, Boston, Burlington and Portland, Maine are the cities where bike commuting is growing the fastest. (Stacker)
- Chicago transit agencies are taking public input on how to close a projected $730 million budget gap. (Sun-Times)
- The feds have approved funding for express buses on Rice Street in St. Paul. (Pioneer Press)
- U.S. Rep. Cori Bush (D- Mo.) has introduced bills to fund light rail and bus service. (L.A. Progressive)
- Caltrain received $43 million from the federal omnibus appropriations law for an all-electric bus fleet by 2024. (San Jose Inside)
- Gainesville, Florida, has approved a new transit hub on the east side of the city. (Sun)
- A Belgian court ruled in favor of Uber in a lawsuit over drivers' employment status. (Politico)
- This British Columbia cyclist took matters into his own hands when a snowstorm blocked the streets. (Vancouver Sun)
Streetsblog
Wednesday’s Headlines Give Working From Home New Meaning
By Blake Aued
##http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Skyscrapers_from_Chicago_River.jpg## Wikipedia##
Stay in touch
Sign up for our free newsletter
More from Streetsblog USA
When the Government Says You’re ‘Weaponizing’ Your Car
Immigrations and Customs Enforcement officers have been brutalizing and killing people who they perceive as threats. Is mass automobility multiplying their pretext to do it?
January 12, 2026
Should Monday’s Headlines Carry a Carrot or a Stick?
Human beings generally don't like being forced to do anything, so Grist wonders whether policies like car bans could actually be counterproductive?
January 12, 2026
Chicago Explores Black Perspectives on Public Transit
"We're not going to fix decades of inequitable investment in one year, and things like the high-frequency bus network and the Red Line Extension are really important, but the work isn't done."
Confirmed: Non-Driving Infrastructure Creates ‘Induced Demand,’ Too
Widening a highway to cure congestion is like losing weight by buying bigger pants — but thanks to the same principle of "induced demand," adding bike paths and train lines to cure climate actually works.
January 9, 2026
Friday’s Headlines Are Unsustainably Expensive
To paraphrase former New York City mayoral candidate Jimmy McMillan, the car payment is too damn high.
Talking Headways Podcast: Poster Sessions at Mpact in Portland
Young professionals discuss the work they’ve been doing including designing new transportation hubs, rethinking parking and improving buses.
January 8, 2026
