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

If Thursday’s Headlines Build It, They Will Come

Why can the U.S. quickly rebuild a bridge for cars, but not do the same for transit? It comes down to political will and a reliance on consultants.

The Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.

|Photo: Patorjk
  • The U.S. still has the capacity to build major infrastructure projects, but we lack the political will and, in some cases, the expertise. (Governing)
  • Messages revealed by congressional Democrats show that fossil fuel companies privately poo-pooed global climate goals and restrictions that they publicly claimed to support. (Washington Post)
  • The City Fix provides an overview of zero-emissions zones around the world.
  • Colorado Gov. Jared Polis announced a truce with oil and gas companies that will tax drilling to fund transit. (Colorado Public Radio)
  • A business-backed campaign to move two planned Seattle light rail stations would cost an estimated $500 million and result in lower ridership, a Sound Transit study found. (The Urbanist)
  • Houston Mayor John Whitmire continues to kill road safety projects. (Houston Public Media)
  • Private rail company Brightline is eyeing Texas and Seattle for its next projects. (City Lab)
  • Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis seems to have found a winning issue by turning bike lanes into a culture war. (Strong Towns)
  • Proposed new Philadelphia bus routes focus on more frequent service in highly used corridors. (WHYY)
  • Louisville's transit agency is struggling financially in part because Kentucky ranks 46th in funding for transit. (Courier-Journal)
  • Maine Gov. Janet Mills's plan to build a toll highway flies in the face of the state's climate goals. (Portland Press Herald)
  • A metro Detroit cyclist who was hit by a driver is pushing for changes. (CBS News)
  • More than 50 people were hurt in a collision between an L.A. Metro train and a University of Southern California bus. (Trains)
  • Cambridge, Massachusetts — the first city in the U.S. to mandate bike lanes on all road projects — voted to delay implementation of a 25-mile bike network. (Harvard Crimson)
  • Anchorage is building its first protected bike lane downtown this summer. (Alaska News Now)
  • Germany's flat-rate train pass enticed one teenager to not just travel, but live aboard the Deutsch Bahn. (Irish Times)

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