Friday’s Headlines Have Bad News and Bad News
Two rather pessimistic stories wonder whether the U.S. will ever rid itself of the car death cult.
By
Blake Aued
12:01 AM EDT on June 30, 2023
- We know how to stem the tide of needless traffic deaths in the U.S. — redesign streets and regulate vehicle size. It’s just that bureaucratic inertia and industry lobbyists prevent us from doing it. (The American Prospect)
- Can city planners ever halt, let alone reverse, the car-centric sprawl of the past 100 years? (Deseret News)
- Recognizing the often hidden costs of being stuck in traffic, the National Review urges conservatives to be open-minded about congestion pricing.
- A new survey found that three-quarters of Americans would pay more for a house in a walkable neighborhood. The percentage drops with age, though, from 92 percent among Gen Z to 56 percent for the Silent or Greatest generation. (Realtor Magazine)
- Trucks drive 175 billion miles each year in the U.S., and between a fifth and a third of those miles, they are empty. (Transport Topics)
- The California budget deal still leaves Bay Area transit agencies $60 million short. (SFBay)
- A short circuit probably caused an accident that killed a Boston train rider last year, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. (Railway Age)
- A venture capitalist tried to talk Austin into spending $2.6 billion on a network of tunnels built by Elon Musk’s Boring Company. (Fortune)
- Denver cyclists can now register their bikes with the city to help identify them if they’re stolen and recovered. (Denverite)
- Kansas City’s transit agency has dropped plans to build a transit-oriented high-rise and dissolved its development arm. (Flatland)
- St. Louis has plans to improve 10 of its most dangerous intersections. (Post-Dispatch)
- While some cities consider banning new drive-throughs, walkup windows are already popular in Minneapolis and St. Paul. (MinnPost)
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
Friday’s Headlines Are on a Greyhound Bound for Nowhere
Actually, intercity buses go a lot more places now.
September 4, 2026
Talking Headways Podcast: New Tricks for Old Bureaucracies
"Strong reforms are necessary in California if we're going to have public transit agencies that are successful," says this week's guest.
September 3, 2026
Never Mind the Bollards, Here Come Thursday’s Headlines
Despite the constraints they place on public spaces, the barriers are necessary to protect people from weaponized vehicles.
September 3, 2026
If Wednesday’s Headlines Ain’t First, They’re Last
Like Ricky Bobby, too many American drivers just wanna go fast.
September 2, 2026
How Do Tuesday’s Headlines Poll?
The Times is Times-ing again, ignoring the life-and-death ramifications of bike lanes in favor of the political fallout.
September 1, 2026
