- Bike helmet laws are going by the wayside as cities realize that requiring them discourages biking, which in turn makes biking more dangerous because drivers pay better attention when there are more cyclists on the road. Plus, the laws are disproportionately enforced. (Slate)
- Most transportation engineers are actually civil engineers who have very little training in transportation, which explains why they love to build roads so much. (Next City)
- U.S. DOT officials recognize the need for stronger partnerships with their state and local counterparts to solve the "crisis" of traffic deaths. (Smart Cities Dive)
- Yonah Freemark catalogued all the transit projects worldwide that opened in 2022 or are set to start construction in 2023. (The Transport Politic)
- The CEO of European automaker Citroën says that electric vehicles will spell the end of the SUV because of the massive range penalty for huge trucks that require huge batteries. (Clean Technica)
- Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp — who once cut a campaign ad promising to round up immigrants in his "big truck" — is making a conservative argument for EVs by casting the conversion as a jobs rather than a climate change issue. (Politico)
- Wyoming Republicans are owning the libs by proposing (apparently tongue in cheek) to ban EV sales in 2035 — the same year California plans to phase out internal combustion. (Washington Post)
- Instead of merely prosecuting drivers who kill pedestrians, Indianapolis has established a commission to investigate fatal crashes and recommend ways to make those roads safer. (City Lab)
- Four of the 18 fatal crashes in Stamford, Connecticut, over the past five years were on six-lane Washington Boulevard, but the city is powerless to fix it without state assistance. (Greenwich Times)
- In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Omaha grew along its streetcar lines, and so it could be again. (World-Herald)
- A 75-year-old Denver woman who uses a wheelchair convinced the city to spend $400,000 to fix the sidewalks in her neighborhood. (News 9)
Stay in touch
Sign up for our free newsletter
More from Streetsblog USA
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
Exploding Costs Could Doom One of America’s Greatest Highway Boondoggles
The Interstate Bridge Replacement Project and highway expansion between Oregon and Washington was already a boondoggle. Then the costs ballooned to $17.7 billion.
January 8, 2026
Mayor Bowser Blasts U.S. DOT Talk of Eliminating Enforcement Cameras in DC
The federal Department of Transportation is exploring how to dismantle the 26-year-old enforcement camera system in Washington, D.C.
January 8, 2026
Thursday’s Headlines Are Making Progress
By Yonah Freemark's count, 19 North American transit projects opened last year, with another 19 coming in 2026.
January 8, 2026
The ‘Affordability Crisis’ Conversation Can’t Leave Out the Cost of Cars
We can't talk about Americans' empty wallets without talking about our empty buses and sidewalks.
January 7, 2026
Opinion: E-Bikes Are An Economic Boost That Cities Must Seize
E-bikes and scooters are reshaping local retail markets by expanding who can reach neighborhood businesses with frequency, ease, and convenience.
