A Hillbilly Elegy for Thursday’s Headlines
Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, the Republican nominee for vice president, supports more federal subsidies for giant, deadly, gas-guzzling trucks and SUVs.
By
Blake Aued
12:01 AM EDT on July 18, 2024
- Donald Trump’s running mate, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, sponsored a bill to gut the Biden administration’s incentive program for electric vehicles and replace it with incentives to buy gas-powered ones. And the larger the vehicle, the bigger the rebate. (Quartz)
- Stories about how the EV market is slumping are too simplistic, according to Slate. For example, e-bike sales are through the roof, even though they don’t qualify for the same type of incentives as cars.
- House Republicans are taking a look at the Biden administration’s climate policies in light of a recent Supreme Court ruling restricting agencies’ ability to interpret laws. (Smart Cities Dive)
- The most dangerous congressional districts for pedestrians are mostly in the South and mostly majority Black and brown. (Streetsblog USA)
- The Federal Transit Administration announced $1.5 billion in infrastructure grants to buy zero-emissions buses in New Jersey, Boston, Los Angeles, Detroit and more than 100 other communities. (EC&M)
- The FTA ordered the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority to address safety issues like worker fatigue and inadequate training. (Trains)
- Transit consultant Jarrett Walker thinks Chicago transit agencies need more funding, but is opposed to a proposal to consolidate them (Human Transit). Walker also spoke with John Greenfield at Streetsblog Chicago.
- A former Detroit Free Press reporter writes that, when the city demolishes I-375, what replaces it should serve first and foremost as a connection between neighborhoods.
- Louisville is creating a new department of transportation. (Lane Report)
- Charlotte had five crashes involving pedestrians in just three days. (WCNC)
- With its new majority, the UK’s Labor Party plans to nationalize rail, improve bus service and revive a northern high-speed rail line. (The Guardian)
- Oslo’s climate budget caps emissions in the city, leading to innovations like electric construction equipment. (World Resources Institute)
- Informal transit networks like those found in African cities are often inequitable, but providing subsidies for certain routes can change that cheaply. (City Fix)
- Dubai is turning its main traffic artery into a 40-mile High Line-style walking and biking trail with 1 million trees. (Fast Company)
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
New E-Mobility Study Actually Reveals Need For Safer Streets, Not E-Bike Crackdowns
A new look into emergency room data at one Manhattan hospital shows a need for more infrastructure, despite what you might have read elsewhere.
April 24, 2026
Friday’s Headlines Thrive With Women in Charge
Mayors like Barcelona's Ada Colau, Montreal's Valerie Plante and Anne Hidalgo in Paris transformed their cities.
April 24, 2026
Talking Headways Podcast: The Urban Truth Collective
Tom Flood, Grant Ennis and Brent Toderian of the Urban Truth Collective discuss pushing back on falsehoods and conspiracies through positive messaging around cities.
April 23, 2026
Thursday’s Headlines Shout, Shout, Let It All Out
A public input process that engages all stakeholders early on but doesn't drag out is the key to holding down costs for transit projects, according to the Urban Institute.
April 23, 2026
Judge Blocks Trump Admin’s Attempt to Demolish D.C. Bike Lane
But advocates across America aren't letting their guard down about the future of sustainable infrastructure in their own communities.
April 23, 2026