Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In
Today's Headlines

Friday’s Headlines Are Short on Cash

In most of the U.S., a car is a necessity for getting to school, work or the doctor, but the cost is getting more and more unaffordable.

The sticker always hides the true cost of car ownership … on the owner and society.

  • Cars are more expensive than ever, but the unfortunate reality is that most Americans can't afford not to own one either. (Marketplace)
  • Urban highway construction cost displaced residents billions of dollars in home value, and cities lost millions in property tax revenue, according to studies of Atlanta and Washington, D.C. (City Lab)
  • Amtrak is using eminent domain to move forward on replacing a 150-year-old Baltimore rail tunnel. (Washington Post)
  • Dallas Area Rapid Transit removed a downtown subway from its long-range plans, leading to questions about the future of the project. (D Magazine)
  • Washington state Democrats are pushing for high-speed rail connecting Vancouver, Seattle and Portland. (KING)
  • Tacoma's Hilltop streetcar extension opens next month. (The Urbanist)
  • Transit Center has the inside scoop on how Minnesota advocates managed to secure $2 billion in state funding for transit.
  • Conservative media like Fox News and OAN are blaming California legalizing jaywalking for pedestrian deaths that happened before the law passed. In reality, pedestrian deaths are down since January 2023 after a surge in 2022.
  • CalMatters argues that California should stop towing cars just because people don't have enough money to pay their tickets.
  • The North Carolina DOT is providing guidance for cities along a future Richmond-Raleigh rail corridor to plan for transit-oriented development. (Mass Transit)
  • New Jersey's "transit villages," towns where development is designed around bus and train stations, are growing fast. (Planetizen)
  • Philadelphia transit agency SEPTA is painting more bus-only lanes red after a pilot program found that it sped up buses. (WHYY)
  • Colorado is accepting applications for its statewide e-bike rebate program. (Axios)
  • Charleston is backing off plans for a bike lane on busy King Street. (Post and Courier)
  • BikePortland offers tips on safe cycling.
  • India will spend $7 billion buying 10,000 electric buses for 170 cities. (Reuters)
  • Here's a list of nine European cities that are car-free. (The Mayor)

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Damn the Torpedoes, Friday’s Headlines Are Ahead

David Zipper has a long read in Slate about the history of freeway construction and how it compares to dams.

August 30, 2024

Friday Video: How (and Why) To Paint a Ghost Bike

Roadside memorials can make the human costs of our traffic violence crisis visible — at least until someone tears them down. That's why filmmaker made it his mission to restore two ghost bikes that had vanished from Boston roads.

August 30, 2024

Media Critique: Labor Day Traffic Coverage Ignores Trains

Recent coverage of the Labor Day weekend travel crush fails to mention rail services.

August 29, 2024

Killed by a Traffic Engineer: CalBike Interviews Wes Marshall

There is nothing that says you have to design for the peak or for 20 years from now. It’s a choice we’re making.

August 29, 2024

More Safe School Streets Coming To NYC This Fall

A record number of school "open streets" will operate across the city when the school year starts next week, officials said.

August 29, 2024
See all posts