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

Wednesday’s Headlines Tax the Rich

Only the wealthy can really afford today's mega-SUVs — and they're not paying for their impacts.

  • SUVs are getting so big that, even with improving efficiency, the average new internal combustion vehicle pollutes more than one purchased 10 years ago, according to a climate group's study that supports taxing vehicles by weight. And since only the wealthy can afford to buy — and fuel — these ultra-heavy SUVs, the rich are mostly responsible. (The Guardian)
  • Republican states are slapping new fees on electric vehicles to supplement declining gas tax revenue, but critics say the new fees are more about the culture war than funding transportation. (Washington Post)
  • When using AI for transportation planning decisions, officials should proceed carefully and make sure a person is ultimately in charge. (Route Fifty)
  • Waymo's driverless vehicles are using LED displays and recorded messages to communicate their intentions to pedestrians (The Verge). But a longtime critic of Tesla's self-driving technology has now concluded that Waymo and Cruise vehicles are also more like to get into crashes than those with human drivers (Autoblog).
  • A law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom allows Los Angeles, San Francisco, and four other nearby cities to use cameras to catch speeding drivers. (New York Times)
  • Utah officials unveiled hundreds of transportation projects planned for now to 2050, including 4,700 miles of walking and biking trails, and a controversial gondola. (Salt Lake Tribune)
  • The mayors of Austin and San Antonio are exploring passenger rail between the two cities. (KXAN)
  • A task force appointed by the Minnesota legislature is considering taking Metro Transit away from the Twin Cities' Met Council and making it independent. (MinnPost)
  • Contrary to popular belief, most vendors at Seattle's popular Pike Place Market aren't opposed to pedestrianizing the area. (The Urbanist)
  • Richmond's transit agency has approved a north-south bus rapid transit to complement east-west BRT. (Times-Dispatch)
  • A Bay Area real estate company is tearing down a grocery store and turning it into parking for a nearby mall. (SFGate)
  • Mobility and environmental activists are worried about bikelash from newly elected conservative governments in Europe, but on the other hand center-right politicians aren't offering much of a vision beyond ongoing traffic jams. (Politico EU)

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Friday Video: The Best Super Bowl Ad You’ll Never See

Every February, Automakers spend millions to get Americans into expensive cars they can't afford. What if we could do the same to get them onto a bike seat?

February 21, 2025

Friday’s Headlines Fear for Amtrak

Amtrak may not survive the second Trump administration, let alone the slow progress on expansion made under President Biden.

February 21, 2025

Protestors Disrupt USDOT Secretary’s Attack on California High-Speed Rail

Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy announced a federal investigation into California High-Speed Rail "waste, fraud, and abuse." Protestors had a different take.

February 20, 2025

Talking Headways Podcast: How Big Box Stores are Destroying the Fabric of America

All of this very much like relates to where we are in terms of the breakdown in our basic civic fabric as a country.

February 20, 2025

Is the Intercity Bus About To Have Its Big Moment?

Intercity bus had an unexpectedly strong year — and some analysts think even greater things are on the horizon.

February 20, 2025
See all posts