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

Photo: Jay Peeples|

Make America Smoggy Again.

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)