Friday’s Headlines Take Up Space

Car bloat leads to more congestion — just one more reason to bring back sedans and station wagons.

By Blake Aued

12:02 AM EDT on March 28, 2025

Photo: Michael, CC|

Car bloat is partially responsible for worsening traffic congestion.

In addition to increasing emissions and being deadly for cyclists and pedestrians, bloated trucks and SUVs are also making traffic worse because they take up more space on the road. One study found that they reduce the capacity of freeway lanes by almost 10%. (CityLab)
Electric truck manufacturer Rivian is starting a new micromobility company that will make smaller vehicles like e-bikes, e-scooters and golf carts. (Heatmap)
The Trump administration's withholding of federal funds threatens half a billion dollars for Minnesota transportation projects (Reformer), as well as hundreds of millions in promised grants for Colorado transit (Sun).
A Charlotte city council member — a fan of self-driving cars and Elon Musk's tunnel-digging Boring Co., and an opponent of expanding transit in the metro region — is resigning to take the No. 2 job at the Federal Transit Administration (WFAE). Tariq Bokhari's appointment comes as North Carolina Republicans are writing legislation for a new transit authority and a transportation sales tax referendum (Charlotte Observer).
A plan before the Kansas City council would stop drastic service cuts by fulling funding transit for six months. However, it would also end the bus system's successful fare-free policy. (KCUR)
A candidate for mayor of Omaha wants to halt a streetcar project, but doing so would cost the city $140 million in already signed contracts. (Flatwater Free Press)
Portland will spend $200,000 to daylight 200 intersections over the next two years. (BikePortland)
Connecticut legislators reintroduced a bill to prioritize transit-oriented developments for grant funding. (CT Mirror)
Houston Mayor John Whitmire has been undermining his predecessor's Vision Zero initiatives, so it's no surprise that pedestrian deaths are on the upswing (KHOU). Recently cyclists held a demonstration demanding that Whitmire's administration replace bike lane barriers it had removed (Houston Public Media).
Gary, Indiana is expanding its bus service and bikeshare. (Mass Transit)
A Santa Clara judge ordered Valley Transportation Authority workers to end a 16-day strike. (San Jose Inside)
Guerilla activists are installing benches at San Francisco bus stops that lack them. The benches are ADA compliant and cost about $70 to make. (SFGate)
Riders are divided about the use of leaning rails instead of benches at New York City transit stops. (Fast Company)
To limit pollution and traffic, Singapore requires would-be car owners to buy a permit that costs up to $84,000. (New York Times)