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

Thursday’s Headlines Have No Direction Home

A homelessness crisis is keeping some riders away from trains and buses. Transit Center has some ideas for what to do about it.

  • Transit agencies have found themselves unwittingly at the forefront of a homelessness crisis in the U.S., which is keeping some riders away due to perceptions that transit is unsafe. A new Transit Center report based on case studies from several cities offers alternatives to doubling down on policing, such as partnering with shelters and social service providers.
  • Cities across the country are turning parking lots into safe havens for unhoused people who are forced to sleep in their cars. (Smart Cities Dive)
  • Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey and Pennsylvania Rep. Chris Deluzio, both Democrats, have introduced a bill that would provide $200 billion over five years for high-speed rail, expanding passenger rail service and electrifying the most polluting rail lines.
  • Prisoners, jail inmates and detained immigrants are particularly vulnerable to climate change-driven natural disasters. (Slate)
  • Florida employers often cover it up when workers die of heat-related causes. (Tampa Bay Times)
  • Startup Empower is competing with Uber and Lyft by undercutting them on price, but it's operating illegally in Washington, D.C. in a throwback to the early Wild West days of ride-hailing apps. (New York Times)
  • Our Streetsblog Chicago colleague John Greenfield suggests that Illinois divert federal "flex funds" from highways to transit to avoid a looming fiscal cliff.
  • If the North Carolina legislature doesn't allow metro Charlotte to move forward with a transportation sales tax referendum, there is no Plan B. (Observer)
  • The Metro Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority is overhauling its bus lines to provide more frequent service on the most popular routes. (AJC)
  • New Orleans' Riverfront streetcar will be out of service for two weeks due to vandalism and theft. (Times-Picayune)
  • Drivers have killed 14 pedestrians in Anchorage this year, and top officials' response is to push for recriminalizing jaywalking. (Daily News)
  • Visitors to city centers who arrive by bike or on foot spend less than drivers, a Dutch study found, but they also visit more frequently, so they spend more per month. (Dutch Cycling)
  • Greece is lowering speed limits on most urban streets from about 30 miles per hour to less than 20. (Ekathimerini)
  • England's equivalent of the U.S. surgeon general is in favor of 15-minute cities. (Forbes)

From the editors: Streetsblog provides high-quality journalism and analysis for free — which is something to be celebrated in an era of paywalls. But the work Streetsblog does is not free; we rely on the generosity of our readers to help support our reporters and editors as they advance the movement to end car dependency in our communities.

If you already support our work, thank you! Can you brag about us to your friends and ask them to support?

If you aren’t a supporter yet, please join us and help us push for a more livable, walkable, bikeable, equitable and enjoyable country for all. And happy holidays from the Streetsblog team!

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

The Shocking Untold History of America’s Rails-to-Trails Movement

Some of the fiercest battles for the future of public space in America have happened on abandoned railway corridors — and the battles aren't over yet.

October 7, 2025

Tuesday’s Headlines Take It Back

Withholding transit funds is just one aspect of the Trump administration's campaign to reshape the federal bureaucracy during the shutdown.

October 7, 2025

Commentary: Speed Cameras are a Good Start for Safe Streets

But *all* tools must be used to achieve Vision Zero —  not just speed cameras.

October 6, 2025

Under Pressure: Uber’s Navigation System Endangers the Public With Reckless Driving Directions

An Uber driver made an illegal u-turn and hit someone, but the in-app navigation told him to do it and the company won't give up the code.

October 6, 2025

Likely NYC Mayor Mamdani Supports Daylighting

But the next mayor will have to overcome a deeply entrenched bureaucracy opposed to the common-sense policy.

October 6, 2025

As Portland Fights ICE With Land-Use Regulations, Will Zoning Survive Trump?

Portland's attempt to rein in ICE could trigger a battle over the constitutionality of zoning.

October 6, 2025
See all posts