Wednesday’s Headlines Believe in Monsters
And so does the CEO of Ford. That's how he described some vehicles while calling for a shift to smaller EVs as pedestrian deaths remain high.
By
Blake Aued
12:01 AM EDT on July 3, 2024
- Increasingly heavy vehicles, lax traffic enforcement and dangerous driving are among the reasons pedestrian deaths remain high in Vision Zero communities (Smart Cities Dive). Even Jim Farley, the CEO of Ford — which famously stopped manufacturing ordinary passenger cars in recent years — now says that the U.S. needs “radical change” away from “monster vehicles.” (Electrek)
- Freeways ripped through Black neighborhoods and destroyed city tax bases in service to suburban car commuters, but government officials remain mostly indifferent. (Governing)
- The Washington Post delves into how conservatives on the Supreme Court have crippled presidential administrations’ ability to deal with climate change.
- New York lawmakers are pressing Gov. Kathy Hochul to bring back congestion pricing with slightly lower toll. (New York Times)
- A budget that includes a corporate tax hike generating $800 million a year for transit is headed to New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy’s desk. (North Jersey)
- A Seattle city council member is pushing to add to Mayor Bruce Harrell’s $1.7 billion transportation proposal. (The Urbanist)
- Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg visited Raleigh to break ground on a high-speed rail line connecting it to Richmond. (NC Pulse)
- Houston is now the largest U.S. city without bike-share, and it’s unclear when or if another one will take BCycle’s place. (Houston Public Media)
- Miami is building the nation’s first all-electric bus depot, capable of storing and charging 100 electric buses. (ENR Southeast)
- The disease is sprawl, and Phoenix is betting that transit-oriented development is the cure. (Architect Magazine)
- Honolulu’s transportation director lent his support to the city transit agency’s CEO and explained the takeover of a nonprofit bikeshare in an interview with Hawaii Public Radio.
- Milwaukee is telling drivers to slow down. Will they listen? (Fox 6)
- A Minneapolis artist painted the sidewalk in front of his house. Is it art or graffiti? (MinnPost)
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
Safety Last: Under Trump, U.S. Roads Continue To Be ‘Dangerous By Design’
This is nothing to be proud of: Of the 20 most-deadly states in a 2022 report, 19 showed no signs of improvement or became even more dangerous.
June 16, 2026
New York Cyclists Struggle As Illegal Vehicles Flood City Streets
"Better street design" is not "some kind of mystery," says best friend of cyclist Dmytro Stechenko, who was killed in head-on collision with an illegal stand up scooter rider in the May 28 Queensboro Bridge crash.
June 16, 2026
The Bus Bench Revolution Wants You to Enlist — Here’s How
Not all heroes wear capes – some wear high-viz vests and safety goggles.
June 15, 2026
‘World Cup’ on the Podcast: Is LA Ready for the FIFA-Pocalypse?
In this special World Cup edition, SGV Connect talks with Foothill Transit about how transit agencies across Los Angeles County are preparing for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
June 15, 2026
Monday’s Headlines Shift Into Reverse
After the Biden administration briefly boosted funding for transit and rail, House Republicans are going back to their highway-centric ways.
June 15, 2026
