Friday’s Headlines Turn Back the Clock
The Trump administration is undoing decades of progress on transportation emissions and safety — progress that many would argue was too modest to begin with.
By
Blake Aued
12:47 AM EDT on March 14, 2025
- EPA Administrator and climate change denier Lee Zeldin announced that he will attempt to roll back emissions standards for cars and other environmental regulations (Associated Press). Meanwhile, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is taking aim at grants for bike lanes and other “green infrastructure.” (Streetsblog USA)
- Those are the things the Trump administration is doing. Transportation for America has a list of things it should be doing, like fixing roads, making them safer and cutting red tape.
- E&E News delves into the budget complexities of repealing electric vehicle tax credits.
- A federal appeals court allowed the merger of 1,600 sexual assault lawsuits against Uber to move forward. (Los Angeles Times)
- Immigration and Customs Enforcement is using data from license plate readers to plan raids. (The Guardian)
- With proposals to redesign Penn Station stalled out, a new plan calls for moving Madison Square Garden to double the cramped train hall’s capacity. (New York Times)
- Kansas City’s transit agency is proposing to chop nearly half its bus routes, reduce service hours and lay off 171 employees. (KCUR)
- Instead of extending the streetcar to the Beltline’s Eastside trail, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens now wants to run the streetcar to a new MARTA infill station first. (AJC)
- A new Twin Cities transit app makes navigating the system easier. (MinnPost)
- A walkable and bikeable mixed-use development for 5,000 residents opened along a Utah light rail line. (CNU Public Square)
- A transit board in Washington state is deadlocked on whether to include light rail in a new I-5 bridge over the Columbia River. (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
- The Rhode Island Public Transit Authority says it’s facing a $32 million shortfall, but Gov. Dan McKee’s budget proposal cuts its funding instead. (Current)
- In the wake of the New Year’s Eve truck attack on Bourbon Street, Savannah is beefing up security for its popular St. Patrick’s Day parade, including installing water-filled barricades at intersections. (Georgia Public Broadcasting)
- Unbelievably, this is actually a true story: Brazil is chopping down thousands of acres of rain forest to build a highway in preparation for a global climate change conference. (BBC)
- La Paz, Bolivia has the longest cable car system in the world. It costs just 30 cents to ride, and 200,000 people use it every day. (The World)
- Vancouver is offering free rides on its new electric buses through next Friday. (Daily Hive)
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 Video: Take Transit to the World Cup … If You Can Afford It
Why are some cities forced to charge high fares to World Cup visitors who want to take the train, while others are giving away rides nearly for free?
May 1, 2026
Good Public Transit + Good Public Funding = Good Public Health
Transit agencies need to do more to remind policy makers of the connection between good public transportation and good public health, a report argues.
May 1, 2026
Friday’s Headlines Walk Warily
Don't be fooled by declining statistics. Walking in the U.S. is still too dangerous.
May 1, 2026
Boston’s New Climate Plan Is At Odds With Boston’s New Transportation Policies
Mayor Wu's climate plan calls on the city to cut traffic and "transform" its transportation system, but City Hall leadership is cancelling and delaying projects that would actually accomplish those goals.
April 30, 2026
Talking Headways Podcast: The Logistics of Package Delivery
Benjamin Fong on out how e-commerce companies like Amazon have built their logistics systems and the difficulty of last-mile delivery.
April 30, 2026
