- Cyclist and pedestrian deaths have skyrocketed in the U.S. over the past 20 years — an anomaly among developed nations — and the victims are disproportionately Black and Hispanic. For decades governments prioritized wide roads in poor and minority neighborhoods that outsiders can speed through, and neglected to invest in safety. (New York Times)
- Two-mile long freight trains often block intersections for hours, requiring children who walk to school to risk their lives climbing over a train that could start at any time or stay home. (ProPublica)
- Automakers pretty much refuse to sell small cars and trucks in the U.S., believing Americans don't want them. So rural farmers are importing tiny pickups from Japan. (The Economist; paywall)
- "Desire paths" trampled by people where there are no paved paths help urban planners understand how to build better public spaces. (Australian Broadcasting Corp.)
- California transit agencies and sympathetic legislators unveiled a five-year, $5 billion budget proposal to keep transit from going over a fiscal cliff. (CalMatters)
- The Culver City council removed a protected bike lane from a downtown safety pilot program that was widely watched in the L.A. region. (LAist)
- The "pause" on Philadelphia's King of Prussia rail line is also an opportunity to draw riders back by improving existing transit service. (Governing)
- Gov. Maura Healey hired the Massachusetts DOT's first-ever chief safety officer. (Boston Herald)
- Miami planners are floating a plan to turn U.S. Highway 1 into a boulevard with traffic calming measures and a bike path. (Miami Today)
- A light rail crash near Denver in March was likely caused by the operator falling asleep, according to a state investigation. (Colorado Public Radio)
- A Charlotte Magazine writer tried riding the bus and found it slow and frustrating, as did many of her fellow passengers.
- Lisbon is the latest city to ban car traffic through downtown, if only temporarily. (City Lab)
Streetsblog
Thursday’s Headlines Reap What We Sowed
By Blake Aued
A Detroit family walks down a street with no sidewalks.
|Joel Kurth/Bridge Michigan.Stay in touch
Sign up for our free newsletter
More from Streetsblog USA
Friday Video: The Largest U.S. City With No Transit
Can communities really keep people moving without fixed-route transit? Find out on this visit to Texas.
November 21, 2025
Friday’s Headlines Tread Carefully
The Washington Post too a deep dive into the epidemic of pedestrian deaths, which rose from 4,300 in 2010 to more than 7,000 in 2023.
Blake Aued
November 21, 2025
Talking Headways Podcast: Emotional Consumption in China
High-speed rail has completely transformed the country. Think about that sentence: "High-speed rail has completely transformed the country." When was the last time something positive like that happened here?
November 20, 2025
Cutting Federal Transit Funding Won’t Close Budget Gaps — But Will Make Transportation Less Affordable
The Trump administration's proposal to eliminate the mass transit account of the Highway Trust Fund would be short-sighted, ineffective, and ruinous, a new analysis finds.
November 20, 2025
Op-Ed: Is There Really More ‘Freedom’ in a City That Depends on Cars?
Or is that question a false dichotomy?
November 20, 2025
Thursday’s Headlines Get Schooled
It's still hard to find people willing to drive the ol' cheese wagon. And since so many places aren't walkable, guess what parents are doing?
Blake Aued
November 20, 2025
