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

Friday’s Headlines Torched a Trillion

As Congress considers a new surface transportation bill, Transportation for America reminds us that all we'll get from building more highways is more traffic, pollution and deaths.

Photo: Hequals2Henry, CC|

This is the future Republicans want.

  • The federal government has spent $1.5 trillion on highways since 1991, yet they're still dangerous and poorly maintained. Why should Congress keep throwing good money after bad? (Transportation for America, reposted by Streetsblog USA)
  • The EPA is poised to reverse a 2009 finding that greenhouse gases are a danger to human health, threatening the agency's ability to regulate carbon emissions from cars and other sources. (Politico)
  • Nowhere is safe from the effects of climate change. (The Guardian)
  • Transportation safety research are among grants the boot from the Trump administration. (CityLab, Streetsblog)
  • The Federal Transit Administration is not enforcing a new rule on transit worker safety. (Smart Cities Dive)
  • CNU Public Square highlights a highly walkable village street grid design.
  • Fights over congestion pricing in New York and bike lanes in Boston are signs that conservatives are trying to reclaim the idea that streets are for cars and cars alone. (Commonwealth Beacon)
  • A transportation sales tax proposal for Charlotte is gaining traction in the North Carolina legislature, but one suburb continues to fight it because it won't get a promised light rail line. (Observer)
  • A franchise fee on utilities could help pay for Des Moines transit (Axios). Meanwhile, Greater Greater Washington floated the idea of a land value tax to fund the D.C. Metro.
  • A Miami developer broke ground on a 2,000-apartment mixed use development near a bus terminal. (Construction Dive)
  • A Washington state Senate bill would let cities drop speed limits to as low as 10 miles per hour on shared streets. (MyNorthwest)
  • Pittsburgh is considering expanding a program that helps low-income homeowners fix their sidewalks. (Tribune-Review)
  • Sacramento approved a quick-build program for road safety projects. (Bee)
  • It remains unclear whether Minneapolis will receive the remaining $234 million from a federal grant for the Green Line. (Axios)
  • Streets.mn calls for rethinking the importance of skyways, which have fallen out of favor with urbanists.
  • Madrid's low emissions zone led to vastly improved air quality. (Cities Today)
  • East Asia has some of the best transit-oriented development in the world. (Arch Daily)

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

‘A Direct Attack’: Top Dem on House Transport Committee Slams Trump’s Green Infrastructure Clawback

The Trump administration's attempts to claw back already-awarded grants for active transportation are on questionable legal footing, the top transportation Democrat says – and he won't stop fighting to save pedestrian and cyclist lives.

March 18, 2025

No Earmarks in Tuesday’s Headlines

The continuing resolution Congress passed last week cedes more power on transportation and other spending to the Trump administration.

March 18, 2025

Vandals Attack Great Highway Park

Echoing the national trend, a contingent of anti-Prop. K folks have decided to reject democratic process.

March 17, 2025

Op-Ed: Anti-Speeding Technology Could Have Saved My Son

A new Washington state bill could help end speeding. And similar bills are spreading across the country.

March 17, 2025

What Will ‘Safe Streets and Road For All’ Mean Under Sec. Duffy?

Last week, Secretary Duffy directed staff to start the process of clawing back millions in discretionary dollars for bike lanes. How will he spend it instead?

March 17, 2025
See all posts