Tuesday’s Headlines Man the Barricades
After the deadly New Year's Eve truck attack in New Orleans, how can cities better protect pedestrians from increasingly heavy and powerful vehicles?
By
Blake Aued
12:07 AM EST on February 11, 2025
- After the Bourbon Street truck attack, cities are looking for ways to protect pedestrian-heavy areas from vehicles, and there are ways to do it without making those areas look like militarized zones (CityLab). But stronger barriers are needed to stop heavy and powerful electric vehicles. (Transportation Technology Today)
- Add an air safety crisis, in addition to traffic-choked cities and flying’s high emissions, to the list of reasons why the U.S. needs a high-speed rail system. (Current Affairs)
- Following a U.S. DOT memo and an executive order from President Trump, Amtrak is canceling its diversity, equity and inclusion programs. (Trains)
- How are transportation grants supposed to promote getting married and having kids? Maybe the new Trump administration policy is really meant to funnel funds to red states and the suburbs. (New York Times)
- Reframing traffic deaths as a public health issue might stop people from thinking they’re inevitable. (Harvard Public Health)
- Milwaukee County adopted a plan to address safety on its 25 most dangerous corridors. (Urban Milwaukee)
- Hours after Miami Beach agreed to obey a court order forcing it to remove a pedestrian plaza and return Ocean Drive to two-way traffic, an appeals court granted a stay, so the road can remain one-way for now. (Miami Herald)
- The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating a Boston train crash that injured five people. (Boston Herald)
- As 17,000 federal employees returned to work in person on the Trump administration’s orders, the Washington, D.C. DOT warned of heavy traffic and urged people to take transit, walk, bike or carpool. (Fox 5)
- Many Minnesotans don’t get the health benefits of walking because they don’t have anywhere to walk safely. (Twin Cities Pioneer Press)
- Transit agency SEPTA honored Philadelphia’s first Black trolley operators. (KYW)
- Kansas City’s streetcar is new, but in advance of the Super Bowl KMBC had a story about New Orleans’, which date back to 1835.
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: Architecture’s Role in Population Decline
Good design is great, but if you can't afford it, you can't have babies. A very special edition of the podcast.
October 1, 2026
Steal This Idea: ‘Emergency Streets’ Strategy Gets First Real-World Pilot
The city of Spokane moved quickly to close a lane at the site where an 18-year-old motorcyclist died in a single-vehicle collision just a few days prior.
October 1, 2026
How to Use the ‘Emergency Streets’ Strategy to Move From ‘Crash Response’ to System Change
A deeper look at the inner workings of the 'Emergency Streets' process, and how it could lead to lasting change.
October 1, 2026
Thursday’s Headlines Pollute the Air and Pay for the Privilege
President Trump wants to accelerate climate change and force motorists to spend more on gas all at the same time.
October 1, 2026
NYC Amazon Delivery Drivers Routinely Speed, Block Bus And Bike Lanes
Amazon delivery drivers have violated traffic laws for years, with little accountability.
September 30, 2026