Tuesday’s Headlines Breathe in the Air
Don't be afraid to care... about all the harmful pollution cars spew, in addition to all the people they kill in crashes.
By
Blake Aued
12:01 AM EDT on October 24, 2023
- While it’s always good to call attention to the catastrophic number of traffic deaths in the U.S., don’t forget that pollution from automobiles also contributes to millions of premature deaths around the world. (Jalopnik, Streetsblog USA)
- Bike Portland is at the Vision Zero Cities conference in New York, where they learned that guerilla urbanism works, that advocates and their allies in government need to build trust with communities, and that eventually the government will be forced to regulate supersized vehicles.
- The Eno Center for Transportation has more inside baseball on congressional highway trust fund hearings.
- Newly released dashcam video shows a Portland driver flying into a rage over freeway exit closures before plowing through a parade in June (Oregonian). He’s still awaiting trial, but another road-rage driver in Charlottesville reached a plea deal involving no jail time for intentionally swerving into a cyclist (Richmond Times-Dispatch).
- The Los Angeles Times editorial board praises the L.A. Metro’s recent push to build more bus-only lanes.
- Denver transit ridership grew by a million rides during the two-month period when the Regional Transportation District offered free passes. (KDVR)
- After Dallas Area Rapid Transit shelved plans for a downtown subway, some city officials are trying to revive the project as a streetcar. (D Magazine)
- After decades of resistance, freight hauler Norfolk Southern now says it’s open to letting Charlotte use its tracks for commuter rail. (WFAE)
- Spending on traffic calming and bridge repairs are at the top of the list for Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey’s proposed budget. (Post-Gazette)
- It’s short on details, but the Seattle DOT has released a list of 80 future projects ahead of a 2024 transportation levy vote. (The Urbanist)
- Charleston continues to drag its feet on a King Avenue bike lane. (City Paper)
- The Indiana Pacers bikeshare is adding 250 e-bikes in Indianapolis. (NBA)
- Fox 10 interviews Diamondbacks fans who rode Phoenix light rail to a baseball playoff game.
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
Every Friday’s Headline Is Sacred
When transit funds are wasted, God gets quite irate.
October 16, 2026
Friday Video: When Walkability Isn’t Enough … Even in the Great Cities of Europe
What happens when livable places get overwhelmingly popular before we can build more of them — or when other failures of design and governance make them bad places to live?
October 16, 2026
Newsom Signs Bill to Better Align California Transportation Spending With Climate Goals
SB 1087 updates California’s landmark sustainable communities law, strengthening the connection between regional climate plans and transportation investments.
October 15, 2026
Talking Headways Podcast: The Passion Problem in Public Transit
Where should the most enthusiastic supporters of transit try to work?
October 15, 2026
Thursday’s Headlines Are Trouble for Tesla
Autonomous vehicles just can't seem to behave themselves.
October 15, 2026
