Wednesday’s Headlines Wonder, Where Have You Gone, Amtrak Joe?
As president, Joe Biden has boosted rail and transit spending, but not nearly as much as some supporters hoped, and roads still reign supreme.
By
Blake Aued
12:01 AM EST on March 6, 2024
- “Amtrak Joe” Biden promised us a “second railroad revolution,” but his commitment to rail has been underwhelming compared to federal spending on roads. (New Republic)
- Also in Amtrak news: more trains are being added in the Northeast Corridor between Washington, D.C. and New York City (WTOP). A proposed line from Chicago to Florida looks like it could bypass Tampa (Tampa Bay Times). And powerful Republican Sen. John Thune sounds open to the idea of Amtrak service in South Dakota (Dakota News Now).
- Raising gas taxes is good policy, but Donald Trump’s claims about Nikki Haley wanting to do that as governor of South Carolina are misleading. (USA Today)
- Jeff Speck encourages every city to make a downtown walkability plan. (CNU Public Square)
- Pittsburgh is recommitting to Vision Zero after seeing traffic deaths rise 70 percent from 2018 to 2022. (Post-Gazette)
- So many members have resigned from the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority board that it no longer has a quorum to do business. (Times-Picayune)
- Governing profiled a Minnesota state legislator who spend 22 years fighting against climate change and for public transit.
- Seattle’s Sound Transit is deploying more security officers in response to an uptick in violence. (MyNorthwest)
- Tacoma adopted a plan for one neighborhood that includes more open streets, bike lanes and trees. (News Tribune)
- Zoning is complicated, but even for a student at the University of Alabama, it’s not hard to understand that parking mandates result in higher rents (Crimson White). (Relax, the author went to Ole Miss and would never disrespect the Tide.)
- Sports fans will know that of course Barstool has the most obnoxious opinion possible on bike lanes and fines for drivers who block them.
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
Friday Video: Inside the Global Far-Right Push To Rip Out Bike Lanes
Toronto might be in the center of the fight to resist bike lane teardown today. But if some far-right politicians have their way, this fight won't be the last.
October 23, 2026
Friday’s Headlines Shoot Themselves in the Foot
Gas taxes pay for transit, too, so what happens when politicians pander to voters, and the highway trust fund runs dry?
October 23, 2026
Talking Headways Podcast: A More Humanized Experience in Honolulu
If we look transit just as a distance issue, but as a time issue, performance should be discussed as one big whole.
October 22, 2026
Our Best Bet To Confront Climate Change in the Trump Era? Build More Apartments
Most climate strategies are hamstrung by Washington and culture wars across the country. But zoning reform may be the exception.
October 22, 2026
What ‘Flying Cars’ Could Mean For US Car Culture
Would fleets of flying cars be a dystopian nightmare, or a chance to create more walkable cities on the ground?
October 22, 2026
