Thursday’s Headlines Pick Up the Slack

Now that Donald Trump is back in office, it's up to state and local governments to fund walking, biking and transit projects, according to Fast Company.

By Blake Aued

12:01 AM EST on January 30, 2025

Official White House Photo by Benjamin Applebaum

The Trump administration has made it clear it's going to prioritize roads and cars over transit, walking and biking, so now it's time for state and local governments to step up. (Fast Company)
Former upstate New York Rep. Marc Molinaro, a congestion pricing critic, is President Trump's pick to head the Federal Transit Administration. (New York Post)
Allowing right turns on red endangers cyclists and pedestrians because drivers regularly roll through intersections without coming to a complete stop, a Mineta Transportation Institute study found. (Smart Cities Dive)
Cargo trucks are responsible for three percent of greenhouse gas emissions, so electrifying them would have a significant impact on climate change. (Yale Climate Connections)
Ironically, if Trump is successful in repealing the federal tax credit for electric vehicle purchases, it could hurt states that voted for him like South Carolina, where automakers and battery suppliers are already building factories. (Government Technology)
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette editorial board says the city has been slow-walking improvements to the Oakland district that would have saved lives.
A Texas charter bus company is planning to launch scheduled intercity bus service between Houston and Dallas and Houston and San Antonio. (Houston Public Media)
Amtrak's Cascades line in the Pacific Northwest set a ridership record last year. (Daily Hive)
Kansas City climate activists came out in force for a recent county commission meeting demanding that the county provide more transit funding. (KCUR)
The Washington, D.C. DOT awarded a two-year contract to Hopp to provide 700 shared e-scooters. It's the first U.S. contract for parent company Bolt, not to be confused with the now-defunct scooter company founded by sprinter Usain Bolt. (Axios)
The Pennsylvania House Transportation Committee unanimously backed a bill allowing cities to create protected bike lanes. (Capital-Star)
Project Optimist explains a new type of organization Minneapolis residents are starting to encourage transportation modes besides driving.
Melbourne transit advocates sound oddly like drivers when, as The Guardian reports, they complain that too many people are riding downtown trams since they became fare-free.
Billionaire Michael Bloomberg pledged to fully fund the U.S. portion of the United Nations' climate change budget after Trump withdrew from the Paris Agreement. (Euronews)