The Price Is Right for Thursday’s Headlines
A transportation expert lays out how paying more to drive would benefit motorists and transit users alike. Plus, the spiraling cost of car ownership in the U.S.
By
Blake Aued
12:01 AM EST on February 15, 2024
- Properly pricing driving — through higher fuel taxes, tolls and parking fees — would reduce congestion, pollution and crashes. In other words, motorists want driving to be cheap and traffic-free, but they can’t have both. (Planetizen)
- Americans drove almost 3.3 trillion miles last year, more than in 2019 but still below the pre-COVID peak on a per-person basis. (Eno Center for Transportation)
- Thanks to corporate greed and climate change, the cost of buying and owning both new and used cars has risen drastically in the U.S., yet many people have no choice other than to drive. (The Guardian)
- An advocate for the blind writes that floating bus stops located between bike and car lanes pose a risk to pedestrians, especially the blind. (Times Colonist)
- After an initial transit referendum failed in 1968, Atlanta won support from Black residents by establishing “maid routes” to take domestic workers by bus from the inner city to their wealthy suburban employers. (AJC)
- Arizona Republicans are holding transportation funding hostage in an effort to kill a Tucson-to-Phoenix rail line, as well as to stop the state DOT from implementing road diets or making plans to reduce carbon emissions. (Daily Star)
- Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey’s proposed budget includes of hundreds of millions in new funding for Boston and regional transit. (MassLive)
- Transit advocates are ramping up pressure on Maryland Gov. Wes Moore to complete the Red Line as light rail. (Baltimore Fishbowl)
- Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell is set to announce any day now whether he’ll put a transit referendum on the November ballot. (Axios)
- Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced $106 million in funding for 383 transit projects statewide. (Spectrum News)
- Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg expressed support for replacing the 107-year-old Interstate Bridge in a visit to the Oregon-Washington border. (KGW)
- Seattle’s Sound Transit put in an order for 33 electric double-decker buses for its Stride bus rapid transit line. (Smart Cities World)
- The U.S. DOT approved a $417 million loan for North Carolina to extend the Triangle Expressway. (Transportation Today)
- Anchorage decriminalized jaywalking in October and now could ban right turns on red. (Must Read Alaska)
- Charleston’s bikeshare had a 50 percent bump in ridership between 2022 and 2023. (Count On 2)
- San Francisco residents showed what they thought of driverless taxis when they lit an (unoccupied) Waymo on fire. (CNBC)
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
When Are Parking Debates Just A Smokescreen for Hate?
A new paper finds that mosques are more likely to face pushback over parking than other houses of worship. What should planners do about it?
October 20, 2026
Tuesday’s Headlines Do the Robot
Cities and states are filling the void, but the feds really need to step in to set rules for autonomous vehicles.
October 20, 2026
The Math On Car Ownership For New Parents Doesn’t Add Up
An expecting Oakland parent makes the case for car-free parenting.
October 20, 2026
Why US Roads Are Full of SUVs and Trucks, Part I
Everyone says that Americans just love SUVs and pick-ups. But is that really true — or are there solvable structural reasons why our streets look like a monster truck rally?
October 19, 2026
Aging in Place Is a Mobility Problem, Too
How Spain is going the extra mile to help seniors age in place, even if doing it is an uphill climb.
October 19, 2026
