Tuesday’s Headlines Go Car-Free
Only 8 percent of U.S. households don't own a car. But getting around without one is possible, even in cities that lack great transit.
By
Blake Aued
12:00 AM EST on February 14, 2023
- Over 90 percent of U.S. households own at least one vehicle, according to Census data. The metro area with the highest rate of vehicle ownership is Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL, at 97.6 percent, and the lowest by far is New York-Newark-Jersey City at 56.5 percent. (Yahoo!)
- Outside of a few coastal cities, it’s not easy to get by without a car in America. Streetsblog USA alum Angie Schmitt explains how to do it, for Vox.
- Shared e-scooters are proven to reduce car trips, and cities should be building more infrastructure to keep them off sidewalks. (Cities Today)
- San Francisco is extending parking meter hours to help fund transit agency Muni. (Chronicle)
- An express bus between Detroit and Ann Arbor has been a success. Next up is a bus connecting downtown to the airport. (WDET)
- Massachusetts lawmakers filed bills to implement congestion pricing in Boston, where the average driver spends 134 hours a year stuck in traffic. (Globe)
- Minnesota lawmakers are writing a bill to put social workers on light-rail trains to help people struggling with housing, mental health and addiction. (Reformer)
- Fare-free transit in Connecticut has led to unhoused people riding buses all day and a spike in attacks on bus drivers. (Examiner)
- A Colorado bill would provide free transit rides during peak ozone season. (KRDO)
- A judge ruled that Denver’s transit agency isn’t responsible for crossing arm issues that cost a light-rail contractor $100 million. (Colorado Public Radio)
- A driver killed a cyclist on a Portland street where the Oregon DOT had forced the city to remove a bike box. Now the city is putting it back. (Bike Portland)
- Austin released a new urban trail plan that increases accessibility in underserved neighborhoods. (Daily Texan)
- Berlin is planning on removing almost all car parking from a neighborhood as a car-free pilot project. But it might be going too far, even for Green Party voters. (The Guardian)
Blake Aued has been doing Streetsblog's daily national news digest for years. He's also an Atlanta Braves fan, which enrages his editor in New York.
Read More:
Streetsblog has migrated to a new comment system. New commenters can register directly in the comments section of any article. Returning commenters: your previous comments and display name have been preserved, but you'll need to reclaim your account by clicking "Forgot your password?" on the sign-in form, entering your email, and following the verification link to set a new password — this is required because passwords could not be carried over during the migration. For questions, contact tips@streetsblog.org.
More from Streetsblog USA
The End of Gas Pain? Oregon Launches Nation’s First Road-User Charge
The Beaver State is moving from pilot to adoption, but the degree of public acceptance remains unclear.
April 29, 2026
Chuy García: Let’s Stop Letting Truck Companies Cheat Crash Victims
A 46 year-old loophole has been keeping truck companies' insurance costs artificially low — and victims are paying the price.
April 29, 2026
Are U.S. Cities Ready for the Robo-Taxi Revolution?
And how can they get ready to regulate the shared AV revolution?
April 28, 2026
Tuesday’s Headlines Pay for Roads Whether We Use Them or Not
Over half of road funding does not come directly from road users, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists.
April 28, 2026
Urban Truth Collective: The One-Hour City Conspiracy
Here's the real conspiracy: Too many people are forced into car-dependent lives, with more health harms, more crashes, more noise, more air pollution, more social isolation — and less space for everything good our streets should be giving us.
April 27, 2026
