Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In
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.

Milwaukee promised Republicans that a streetcar extension would be completed before it hosted the GOP convention.

|Aaron Volkening
  • 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)

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Three Theories About Why U.S. Car Crash Deaths Are Plummeting

Car crash deaths are down by 12 percent, a top group estimates — but why?

March 4, 2026

Wednesday’s Headlines Don’t Got a Fast Car

If Tracy Chapman had saved "just a little bit of money" these days, she'd be in trouble.

March 4, 2026

Dear Trump: the Future Belongs to the Efficient

Trump abandoned climate protection goals claiming that cheap fossil fuel helps consumers and the economy. A mobility-focused analysis shows that he is wrong: resource efficiency is the key to health, economic success and happiness.

March 4, 2026

Federal Judge Rules Trump Can’t Kill Congestion Pricing

Trump does not have the power to toss out the Biden administration's decision to authorize the tolls, Judge Lewis Liman ruled.

March 3, 2026

Tuesday’s Headlines Are a Little Bit Safer

Traffic deaths are down about 12 percent, which the National Safety Council attributes to new technology and infrastructure investments.

March 3, 2026

Could Refurbished E-Bikes Be the Secret Weapon of the Livable Streets Movement?

A high-quality used market could be the boost America needs to get would-be riders off the sidelines and into the saddle, a new report argues.

March 3, 2026
See all posts