Wednesday’s Headlines Go Small
Some carmakers like Ford have finally realized it's in their interest to sell smaller electric vehicles. But will drivers buy them, and will Republicans ever accept them?
By
Blake Aued
12:34 AM EDT on August 28, 2024
- Ford is shifting toward smaller electric vehicles with lighter batteries, but will the SUV-loving American public buy them? (The Atlantic; paywall)
- Republicans continue to rail against electric vehicles even though EVs align with many GOP objectives, like low fuel costs, lower taxes and energy independence. (Motor Trend)
- U.S. roads take up a ton of valuable land that could be used for housing instead. (Streetsblog USA)
- New York City residents who visited Paris for the Olympics saw firsthand the benefits of encouraging biking over driving. (NY Times)
- Only a third of San Antonio’s bus stops have shelters to shade riders from sweltering heat. (San Antonio Report)
- Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson mentioned the destruction of a Black neighborhood to make way for interstates during a brief DNC speech about the Biden administration’s infrastructure law. (Urban Milwaukee)
- D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser is backing away from a city environmental plan’s goal of cutting car trips nearly in half. (Greater Greater Washington)
- Philadelphia will close some streets to cars every Sunday in September to see how it affects businesses. (WHYY)
- Portland transit agency TriMet is shifting late-night light rail service to buses and making numerous other changes to the system. (Oregonian)
- Houston Metro officials said they’re replacing a damaged sidewalk they removed near a school, which some residents took as another sign of deprioritizing pedestrians. (Chron)
- The Arizona Republic profiles a Phoenix transit worker who was featured in a Kamala Harris campaign video shown at the DNC.
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
‘A Solution, But To What Problem?’ Experts Say AVs Are The Elephant In The Room, But There’s Still Time To Figure Out Their Role
Want to know more about autonomous vehicles? Read this vital excerpt from last week's "The Future of Transportation" seminar.
April 20, 2026
When Traffic Violence Hits The Same Family Twice — Years Apart, On Exactly the Same Street
The deaths of a Colorado married couple has some mourning an eerie coincidence — and others outraged at two predictable tragedies that could have been prevented.
April 20, 2026
Monday’s Headlines Should Wean Themselves Off Fossil Fuels
Even people who don't drive wind up paying when oil prices spike.
April 20, 2026
Waymo Means Way Mo’ Cars, According To Uber Docs
Caution ahead: Uber admits that self-driving taxis grow their taxi business, too.
April 17, 2026
Friday Video(s): Kidical Mass, Night-Biking in Tokyo, and More
There were great urbanism-adjacent YouTube videos for every taste this week; here are six of our favorites.
April 17, 2026