Friday’s Headlines Are Slower Than a Speeding Bullet
Unlike Superman, Amtrak's new high-speed trains will be limited to medium speeds because of the antiquated tracks they're rolling on.
By
Blake Aued
12:01 AM EDT on September 8, 2023
- New bullet trains in the U.S. will only be able to travel at half their top speed because of aging, curvy tracks, and will cost more than other countries’ because of the Biden administration’s “buy American” requirement. (Politico)
- With interest rates high and automakers getting rid of their affordable models, people under 40 are getting stuck with high loan notes, and many are falling behind. (PBS News Hour)
- When it comes to safety, sharrows and painted bike lanes are sometimes worse than nothing at all. (Streetsblog USA)
- The transition to electric vehicles is an opportunity to look for a more rational way to fund road maintenance than fuel taxes. (Governing)
- Your car may be gathering information about your medical history, your political opinions and even your sex life. (The Guardian)
- According to the CEO of autonomous vehicle manufacturer and GM subsidiary Cruise, any concerns about self-driving cars are the result of anti-robot bias (Washington Post). Hmm, haven’t we heard that before?
- Without a new state source of funding, Chicago transit faces 30 percent service cuts by 2026. (City Lab)
- Philadelphia released three alternatives for capping I-676, aka the Vine Street Expressway, which cuts Chinatown in half. (WHYY)
- Seattle is installing more traffic cameras near schools and parks. (KING)
- Milwaukee’s Eastside has new protected bike lanes. (Urban Milwaukee)
- Mobile is spending $1.3 million in gas tax revenue on making MLK Avenue a complete street. (AL.com)
- A bike commuter details how hard it is to bike in Las Vegas. (Nevada Independent)
- Cars driving themselves on cross-country road trips by 2017? A handy new website helps us keep up with all of Elon Musk’s outlandish claims. (Jalopnik)
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
Talking Headways Podcast: Measuring the Pulse of Urban Development
This week on the Talking Headways podcast, we’re joined by Karen Seto at Yale University and Zhe Zhu at the University of Connecticut to talk about their new study, The Urban Pulse.
August 27, 2026
Thursday’s Headlines Are Living for the City
Suburban retail models are making cities less walkable, while climate change is doing the same in the suburbs.
August 27, 2026
NYC Mayor Doubles Down On Robert Moses’s Great Mistake And Will Rebuild An Urban Highway
Mayor Mamdani wants to build a temporary bypass road to allow for a 10-year, $4-billion rebuild of the BQE triple-cantilever.
August 27, 2026
NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani Apologizes For Not Wearing A Helmet And Activists Lose Their Minds
Reminder: Bike helmet campaigns turn a collective problem into an individual one.
August 26, 2026
Wednesday’s Headlines Ride in Style
Amtrak's new trains sound like a win-win for passengers and the environment.
August 26, 2026