Thursday’s Headlines Bid Buttigieg Bon Voyage
Some parting words — and actions — from Secretary Pete.
By
Blake Aued
1:00 AM EST on January 16, 2025
- In a Q&A with The Verge, outgoing Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg said he’s hopeful that Republicans in Congress whose districts have benefited from new electric vehicle and battery plants will resist the Trump administration’s urge to roll back Biden’s policies. But just in case, the U.S. DOT is shoveling money out the door as fast as it can, including $5 billion for 500 sustainable transportation projects last week (Streetsblog USA)
- For some reason, the solid kind of bollards — not the flimsy plastic ones — are out of vogue with city governments, but they’re a cheap way of protecting pedestrians and cyclists from oversized vehicles. (MinnPost)
- Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey proposed an $8 billion transit funding plan (Bloomberg) that covers the MBTA’s $700 million budget hole using revenue from a tax on the wealthy (Streetsblog MASS)
- A Nashville judge dismissed a lawsuit from two anti-tax advocates and upheld the legality of November’s transit referendum. (Scene)
- A small group of Republican state legislators in Democrat-dominated Mecklenburg County will lead Charlotte’s push for a transit referendum this fall. (Observer)
- Seattle is hiring 50 transportation planners to finally finish projects from a 2016 ballot measure. (The Urbanist)
- Worried that the funding could expire before it’s spent, Milwaukee planners are redirecting $25 million earmarked to extend The Hop streetcar. (Fox 6)
- Washington, D.C. residents can apply for e-bike vouchers of up to $1,500 starting Feb. 1. (WUSA)
- The Vegas Tesla loop isn’t even a crappy subway — it’s a glorified underground crosswalk. (Jalopnik)
- The Baltimore Banner has tips for e-biking around Charm City.
- Take a look back at Providence’s old trolley and streetcar system. (Journal)
- Big Trouser wins again as the annual Phoenix No Pants Light Rail Ride has been canceled this year. (New Times)
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
Friday’s Headlines Celebrate Juneteenth
Ideas for speeding up infrastructure construction in the U.S., where it's slower and more expensive than any other nation.
June 19, 2026
Talking Headways Podcast: So What Is ‘Urban Disorder’ In A Post-Covid U.S.
Open air drug bazaars in San Francisco are one thing that we can agree need to be fixed.
June 18, 2026
Driverless Cars Could Save Tens of Thousands of Lives. But We Must Treat Them Like Aviation — Not Like Cars
Commercial passenger aviation has nearly zero passenger deaths per year compared to about 40,000 roadway deaths. That's not a function of driving being inherently riskier — it is a function of what our leaders decide is "safe enough."
June 18, 2026
Thursday’s Headlines Go Green, Save Green
A lack of smart planning and political willpower contributes to climate change that is costing Americans money
June 18, 2026
Wednesday’s Headlines Are Truckin’
Maybe we shouldn't rely so much on diesel to fuel buses or move so much freight by truck.
June 17, 2026
