- It's not quite the Olympics, but hosting a political convention like the DNC in Chicago next week gives cities an incentive to get transit projects built faster. (ABC News)
- Heat forces trains to slow down to avoid damaging the tracks, and as the climate gets hotter, this is becoming a bigger and bigger problem. The infrastructure can be fixed, but it will be incredibly expensive. (The Atlantic; paywall)
- "Battery passports" allow companies and regulators to digitally track where the materials to manufacture them came from, offering reassurances that child labor or environmentally damaging mining weren't involved. (Politico)
- Firefighters are making streets less safe by demanding wider lanes for their huge fire trucks. (Jalopnik)
- The Washington Post has an interactive feature about Barcelona's pedestrian-friendly superblocks.
- Boston's transit system is underfunded and falling into disrepair, and it's hurting the city's economy. (City Lab)
- Opponents of widening I-5 in Portland filed a lawsuit seeking to block the Rose Quarter Project. (Willamette Week)
- Portland announced multi-year contracts with Lime and Lyft to expand their e-scooters fleets, and will make the micromobility program permanent. (Bike Portland)
- Minneapolis is considering changing parking rules in residential neighborhoods to encourage people to drive less. (MinnPost)
- Tech billionaires have pulled their plans, for now, to build a whole new city in Silicon Valley. (Fast Company)
- A San Francisco woman who was pinned to a wall during a jaywalking arrest has filed an excessive force complaint against the officer. (NBC Bay Area)
- Social media influencers in Atlanta are posting about their car-free lifestyles. (AJC)
Today's Headlines
Friday’s Headlines Go the Conventional Route
Political conventions give a boost to host cities' transit projects, like a Milwaukee streetcar and a new L station in Chicago.
By Blake Aued
Milwaukee promised Republicans that a streetcar extension would be completed before it hosted the GOP convention.
|Aaron VolkeningRead More:
Stay in touch
Sign up for our free newsletter
More from Streetsblog USA
What If The Rising Costs of Car Dependency Were As Visible As Gas Prices?
Gas station billboards remind U.S. residents every day that driving is getting more expensive. What if they told a different message about the high costs of our autocentric transportation system?
March 16, 2026
Hired Actors, Paid Media: Big Tech Has Dumped $8M Into Car Insurance Rate Cut
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul's scheme to bring down insurance costs is backed by Uber cash and ads with professional actors.
Monday’s Headlines Zero In
Traffic deaths are going down, and they'd decline further if cities stopped letting residents block safety projects.
March 16, 2026
Trump’s Oil Crisis Is Already Costing Massachusetts Drivers Over $2.4 Million A Day In Higher Gas Prices
Massachusetts drivers are now cumulatively spending $20.9 million a day at the pump – more than twice the daily cost of operating the entire MBTA system.
Friday Video: Buenos Aires Will Challenge Everything You Think You Know About Buses
The Paris of South America has an amazing bus system — but it doesn't run like North American ones at all.
March 13, 2026
Friday’s Headlines Change How We Keep Score
The way the U.S. measures traffic death rates skews public perception toward the status quo.
March 13, 2026
