Tuesday’s Headlines Came Down With Congestion
People are driving more in 90 out of the 100 largest metro areas in the U.S., according to a new report. Is it time to borrow strategies from Europe to cut those miles? Learn more in headlines.
By
Blake Aued
12:54 AM EDT on September 17, 2024
- Vehicle miles driven nationwide have jumped 12 percent since the pandemic lockdowns temporarily cleared out streets. Traffic congestion now exceeds pre-COVID levels, and even more concerning, it’s rising faster than when shelter-at-home orders ended in 2021. (City Lab, StreetsblogUSA)
- U.S. cities that want to fight the trend can look to Europe, where cities are taking steps like limiting where people can drive and investing in bike infrastructure. (Time)
- Complete Streets do make a difference — if supporters can overcome entrenched interests and budgetary constraints to implement them. (Transportation for America)
- Mail carriers are big fans of the Postal Service’s new trucks, although they still get horrible gas mileage, and not enough of them are electric. (Jalopnik)
- Curbed interviewed Robert Caro, author of the definitive Robert Moses biography “The Power Broker.”
- A U.S. Department of Energy study found that investing in transit in Chicago would return the investment 13 times over. (Mass Transit)
- Uber and Waymo are bringing robotaxis to Austin and Atlanta next. (Clean Technica)
- Plans for a north-south bus rapid transit line in Milwaukee could stay on the shelf for another decade or more. (Urban Milwaukee)
- A WHYY podcast discusses reclaiming Philadelphia’s public streets for pedestrians.
- New Orleans transit is almost completely back to normal operations after Hurricane Francine. (WGNO)
- An Indianapolis police officer driving a patrol car hit a pedestrian, who was hospitalized in critical condition. (Star)
- If James Bond had an e-bike trailer, this would be it. (MSN)
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
If Wednesday’s Headlines Ain’t First, They’re Last
Like Ricky Bobby, too many American drivers just wanna go fast.
September 2, 2026
How Do Tuesday’s Headlines Poll?
The Times is Times-ing again, ignoring the life-and-death ramifications of bike lanes in favor of the political fallout.
September 1, 2026
Slight In August: Streetsblog Is On Hiatus
We're taking a week for professional development.
August 31, 2026
Monday’s Headlines Have Been Loving Amtrak Too Long to Stop Now
Why slash federal funding for rail in half at a time when Amtrak is more successful than it's ever been?
August 31, 2026
Friday Video: Sen. Ed Markey Says Democrats ‘Have to Fight Harder’
StreetsblogMASS rode the bus from Malden to Chelsea with Sen. Ed Markey to talk federal transportation policy and this fall's elections.
August 28, 2026
