Friday’s Headlines Are For Local Control
It's playing out all over the country: A city wants to make a street safer for everyone, only for the state DOT to step in and say no. Learn more about the trend + more stories in today's headlines.
By
Blake Aued
12:01 AM EDT on October 4, 2024
- Even when cities decide they want to make a dangerous, wide street safer, too often state highway departments veto it in the name of moving vehicles, writes Henry Grabar. (Slate)
- Statistics aren’t enough to change minds. We should build a national memorial to all the lives lost to car crashes. (Next City)
- A new study confirms that the number of curb cuts on an arterial road corresponds to pedestrian injuries and deaths. (Findings)
- Fighting for transit means fighting for economic growth, the climate and a better quality of life. (Otherwords)
- Like a lot of things, in the long run “pausing” congestion pricing in New York City is just going to wind up raising the cost of the projects it was supposed to fund. (Vital City)
- Sightline has a study on the wastefulness of minimum parking mandates in Washington state that could probably be applied most anywhere.
- California Gov. Gavin Newsom blew his chance to save thousands of lives by vetoing speed-limiting technology on new cars. (Fast Company)
- The Portland streetcar is an example of how cities can build transit infrastructure by asking the property owners who benefit to pay for it. (Site Selection)
- Ridership on Detroit’s QLine streetcar has nearly doubled since 2022. (Detroit News)
- Saporta Report has lots of new details about what light rail along the Atlanta Beltline would look like if built.
- Austin released more detailed plans about what a cap over I-35 would look like. (KUT)
- For some Atlanta parents, bike buses have turned a stressful car ride to school into a joyful experience. (AJC)
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
Talking Headways Podcast: The Urban Truth Collective
Tom Flood, Grant Ennis and Brent Toderian of the Urban Truth Collective discuss pushing back on falsehoods and conspiracies through positive messaging around cities.
April 23, 2026
Thursday’s Headlines Shout, Shout, Let It All Out
A public input process that engages all stakeholders early on but doesn't drag out is the key to holding down costs for transit projects, according to the Urban Institute.
April 23, 2026
Judge Blocks Trump Admin’s Attempt to Demolish D.C. Bike Lane
But advocates across America aren't letting their guard down about the future of sustainable infrastructure in their own communities.
April 23, 2026
For Earth Day, the Trump Administration Wants To Expand Highways Across America
US DOT wants states to build more roads and take space away from bikes and give it to cars. It's foolish on so many levels.
April 22, 2026
Wednesday’s Headlines Are Fare in Love and War
Henry Grabar argues in favor of fare gates in The Atlantic.
April 22, 2026
