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

Thursday’s Headlines ‘Round About Midnight

Why doesn't the U.S. have more roundabouts? Plus, the growing threat of violence faced by transit workers, and the fallout from Bird's bankruptcy.

Carmel, Indiana, is among the few U.S. cities investing extensively in roundabouts.

|City of Carmel
  • Roundabouts are generally safer than signalized intersections, but most parts of the U.S. don't have many, thanks to overzealous engineers and traffic-light salesmen. (Clean Technica)
  • Assaults on transit workers more than doubled between 2008 and 2021, according to federal data. (NBC News)
  • The Washington Post's Megan McArdle thinks Bird's bankruptcy may lead to a quasi-monopoly on micromobility for competitor Lime.
  • The Federal Highway Administration's proposed rules on road worker safety are getting mixed reviews from the construction industry. (Construction Equipment Guide)
  • Stepped-up traffic enforcement didn't slow the scourge of traffic deaths in Portland this year, which hit a 30-year high of 65 after drivers killed four people on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. (Willamette Week)
  • Cobb County, Georgia officials are considering a November 2024 referendum on a $12 billion transportation plan, half of which would be devoted to a network of bus rapid transit lines. But is the Atlanta suburb dense enough to support it? (AJC)
  • An Illinois court ruled that a cyclist who hit a pothole and took a spill can't sue because he wasn't the roadway's "intended" user — motorists are. (Men's Journal)
  • Baltimore light rail users are reluctant to ride after service was suspended for two weeks for emergency safety inspections. (WBAL)
  • Houston has updated 5,000 bus stops to meet or exceed the Americans with Disabilities Act's standards. (Mass Transit)
  • Two Illinois lawmakers make the case for digging Chicago transit agencies out of a looming $730 million budget deficit. (Sun-Times)
  • Des Moines buses are a lifeline for thousands of workers and students, but service could be cut by 40 percent unless local officials approve a new funding source. (Register)
  • New Orleans' Blue Bikes bikeshare surpassed 300,000 riders this year. (Biz New Orleans)
  • Honolulu once had an extensive streetcar system that carried 20 million riders a year until it was replaced by buses and cars. (Civil Beat)

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Friday Video: The Secret History of Amtrak’s Mardi Gras Service

...and what it means for new passenger rail service across America.

December 19, 2025

Friday’s Headlines Walk the Line

If you're a capitalist, the market says there's a premium for living in a walkable neighborhood. So why not supply more to meet demand?

December 19, 2025

Talking Headways Podcast: Fighting to Win

Carter Lavin talks with Jeff Wood about the necessity of messy politics in obtaining street safety.

December 18, 2025

Streetsblog’s ‘Car-Free Carolers’ Bring the Joy, Mirth and Ho-Ho-Hope to this Holiday Season

Streetsblog's singers are back, belting out their parody classics to make a serious point: New York's roadways don't have to be dangerous places for kids and lungs, but can be joyous spaces for people to walk around, shop, eat or just ... hang out.

December 18, 2025

Study: More Protected Bike Lanes = More Micromobility Users

This ought to silence doubters who claim that no one's using that shiny new cycle track.

December 18, 2025

Thursday’s Headlines Are Hot-Blooded, Check It and See

Hopefully the Earth won't have a fever of 103 when judges get done with the Trump administration's proposal to dismantle greenhouse gas regulations.

December 18, 2025
See all posts