Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In
Today's Headlines

Wednesday’s Headlines Are for the Children

Climate change is forcing schools to give up their playgrounds when we could be giving up our cars, or at least diesel-powered school buses. Learn more in headlines.

St. Terese students in Seattle held their field say in 35th Avenue. Photo: Seattle Public Space Program

  • Almost 20 million children ride to school each day on diesel buses, which are bad for the environment and for their health. The Biden administration's $5 billion investment in electric buses is a start toward changing that, but not enough. (e360)
  • As the climate grows hotter, schools are planting more trees and created more shaded spaces. Unfortunately, that often involves tearing up paved athletic courts and playgrounds. (Washington Post)
  • Car loans have passed student loans to become the second-highest source of debt in the U.S. (Jalopnik)
  • How walkable is your neighborhood? This interactive map will show you. (Bloomberg)
  • If we're going to have parking lots, might as well put solar panels on top of them. (Clean Technica)
  • St. Louis is investing a remarkable $300 million into street safety, primarily due to the Biden administration's American Rescue Plan, but is it too little, too late? (Streetsblog USA)
  • The Denver city council finalized a $150 annual for most property owners to pay for sidewalk construction and upkeep. (Denverite)
  • New Denver legislation intends to keep gas stations from taking up space that could be occupied by transit-friendly housing. (Colorado Sun)
  • Houston Mayor John Whitmire's antipathy toward bike infrastructure and safety improvements in general seems to have originated with a bureaucratic slight involving his own neighborhood. (Chron)
  • A Baltimore nonprofit is teaching teenagers how to repair bikes. (WYPR)
  • Madrid is looking at trying to reduce traffic and pollution by using its transit system to deliver packages during off-peak hours. (Global Railway Review)
  • Plans have been revealed for a new tram across Cardiff. (BBC)
  • High-speed rail could finally come to Australia in the 2030s. (The Conversation)

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Tuesday’s Headlines Show Elections Have Consequences

"Woke" transit agencies need not apply for federal grants now that father of nine Sean Duffy is in charge.

May 20, 2025

Should We Treat the Local Bus As a Basic Right?

There's a way of framing public transit that makes the bus a useful mobility tool for everyone: as a moving extension of the sidewalk network.

May 20, 2025

Op-Ed: Public Transportation is Key to Social Mobility

"As wealth inequality grows and social mobility becomes more difficult, people without access to mobility will be left behind."

May 19, 2025

Car Harms Monday: Machines Took Over Cities and Left Humans in the Dust

There isn't enough physical space for every single household to store its fleet of personal vehicles in front of the home, nor is there space for everyone to drive at the same time. So let's fix that.

May 19, 2025

What Are University Transportation Centers — And Why Did Secretary Duffy Decimate Their Budgets?

University Transportation Centers are "where innovation happens." Earlier this month, though, the Trump administration took a sledgehammer to their budgets.

May 19, 2025

Monday’s Big, Beautiful Headlines

Ride-hailing and delivery apps are backing the Republican reconciliation bill because it includes a tax exemption for drivers' tips.

May 19, 2025
See all posts