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.
By
Blake Aued
12:32 AM EDT on August 18, 2023
- 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)
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:
More from Streetsblog USA
Friday Video: RIP, The D.C. Streetcar
Advocates are mourning the loss of the D.C. streetcar ... but they'e not entirely sad to see it die.
April 10, 2026
You’re Authorized to Read Friday’s Headlines
An important federal transportation funding bill is in the works. Here's what to look out for.
April 10, 2026
Review: ’60 Minutes’ Take On High-Speed Rail Ignored Facts And Offered Nothing New
When 60 Minutes announced a segment on high-speed rail construction in the United States,I feared the worst. What I got was unexpected.
April 9, 2026
Trump Wants to Slash Federal Funding for Public Transit, Rail (Again)
The president’s proposed budget threatens transit projects across the country.
April 9, 2026
Thursday’s Headlines Are the Taxman
Suspending gas taxes might be politically popular, but it doesn't save drivers money and takes away funding for infrastructure.
April 9, 2026
Comments Are Temporarily Disabled
Streetsblog is in the process of migrating our commenting system. During this transition, commenting is temporarily unavailable.
Once the migration is complete, you will be able to log back in and will have full access to your comment history. We appreciate your patience and look forward to having you back in the conversation soon.