- A former star of MTV's "The Real World" has been picked to work in an office with strangers and have his life taped as Donald Trump's transportation secretary. Post-reality TV, Sean Duffy went on to become a Wisconsin congressman, lobbyist and Fox Business anchor. (Politico, Vanity Fair, Streetsblog USA)
- Bloomberg has another roundup of mostly positive transit referendum results from across the country.
- Did fare evasion and the presence of homeless people on trains push urban voters toward Trump? (Slate)
- President Biden wants to finalize a tax credit for cleaner fuel before he leaves office. (Reuters)
- A Notre Dame study found that Black men face more hostility on transit, whether they're employees or passengers.
- Shanghai emits more greenhouse gases than any other city of the world, but the Permian Basin in Texas is by far the most polluting site globally. (South China Morning Post)
- Philadelphia transit agency SEPTA announced it's postponing a bus network redesign as it faces a budget crisis. (Billy Penn)
- San Francisco's Muni is facing "catastrophic" service cuts unless voters agree to raise property and sales taxes. (Standard)
- Crippling debt is eating up the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's operating budget. (Commonwealth Beacon)
- A Twin Cities pilot program is paying unhoused people to pick up litter around Metro Transit stations. (Star Tribune)
- CNU Public Square highlights a new town center development with bike and rail access in the Maryland suburbs outside Washington, D.C.
- Houston is using its "walkable places" ordinance to allow more density at a 70-acre mixed use development. (Houston Public Media)
- Downtown Pittsburgh officials backed away from plans to ban cars from Market Square, but are still banning parking to make the area friendlier to pedestrians. (Post-Gazette)
- The Florida DOT is looking to put a six-lane stroad in Atlantic Beach on a diet. (First Coast News)
- Indianapolis cut the ribbon on a Morris Street complete streets project. (Recorder)
- Spokane has plans to build a 27-mile walking and biking network within the next three years. (Range Media)
- The Seattle city council voted to keep the South Lake Union streetcar open, but is opposed to the long-dormant Cultural Center Connector project. (The Urbanist)
- Another day, another silly argument against bike lanes on social media. (The Cool Down)
Today's Headlines
Wednesday’s Headlines Stop Being Polite and Start Getting Real
A new transportation secretary, successful transit referenda, and more in today's headlines.
By Blake Aued
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