Wednesday’s Headlines Were Bankrupted by Cars

More than six percent of Americans are at least two months behind on their car payments, a nearly 30-year high, and the problem is only likely to get worse.

By Blake Aued

12:11 AM EDT on October 25, 2023

quoteinspector.com

More Americans are currently behind on their auto loans since at least 1994. (Bloomberg)
People are living in their cars in part because their monthly payments are so high they can't afford rent. (New York Times)
Portland officials are considering suspending bike parking requirements as a way to bring down housing costs, which even some bike advocates surprisingly support as a temporary measure. (Bike Portland)
The L.A. Metro is on track to hit pre-pandemic ridership levels soon. (LAist)
Honolulu has until the end of the year to resolve a dispute with the Federal Transit Administration and receive $744 million in federal funds for a light rail line. (Civil Beat)
St. Louis County will reconsider funding for regional transit after a measure deadlocked because one Democratic council member was absent. (Post-Dispatch)
A one-year pilot program in poverty-stricken New Orleans will provide fare-free transit for youth. (Transit Center)
The Austin city council wants to delay the start of construction on I-35 due to air quality concerns. (Monitor)
Gov. Spencer Cox has previously acknowledged that Utah can't pave its way out of congestion, but now wants to widen I-15 and other state roads as part of an Olympics bid. (Salt Lake City Weekly)
Since state lawmakers in Annapolis control the Baltimore transit system, one city delegate asked them to come ride it. (Banner)
Stanford University's hospital is violating an expansion agreement with Palo Alto to limit the number of employees driving to work and could have to pay a $4 million fine. (The Almanac)
Buffalo is testing "smart streets" with bike lanes, moveable curbs, heated sidewalks and more on a seven-block stretch of downtown. (News)
Forget flying cars — Uber is now disrupting the hot air balloon business. (Insider)

Blake Aued

Promoted

Stay in touch

More from Streetsblog USA

Urbanism

Urban Truth Collective: Straight Talk About The Joy Of Cities In An Age Of Disinformation

The Three Tenors of Urbanism explain their latest effort: The Urban Truth Collective.

Grant Ennis, Tom Flood, and Brent Toderian

March 5, 2026

autonomous vehicles

Study: AVs Will Super-Charge VMTs

Yes, robocars address many of our traffic violence troubles, but they may fail to uproot the deeper rot of car dependency that has hollowed out our society

Kea Wilson

March 5, 2026

Car crashes

Three Theories About Why U.S. Car Crash Deaths Are Plummeting

Car crash deaths are down by 12 percent, a top group estimates — but why?

Kea Wilson

March 4, 2026

Today's Headlines

Wednesday’s Headlines Don’t Got a Fast Car

If Tracy Chapman had saved "just a little bit of money" these days, she'd be in trouble.

Blake Aued

March 4, 2026

Climate Action

Dear Trump: the Future Belongs to the Efficient

Trump abandoned climate protection goals claiming that cheap fossil fuel helps consumers and the economy. A mobility-focused analysis shows that he is wrong: resource efficiency is the key to health, economic success and happiness.