Wednesday’s Headlines Flash Their High Beams

Yes, headlights are getting brighter, and while it might help drivers see, for everyone else the glare can be blinding and dangerous.

By Blake Aued

12:20 AM EDT on April 16, 2025

If you feel like you're getting blinded by the glare of oncoming cars' headlights more often these days, you're not wrong — headlights are in fact getting brighter. That's because brighter headlights get higher safety ratings, even though they're probably at least partially responsible for a spike in pedestrian deaths at night. (Vox)
A new report from NYU's Marron Institute shows how Amtrak can speed up trains and cut travel times by up to 30 percent using existing tracks, which is much cheaper than building new tracks for high-speed trains. (CityLab)
Is Lyft recording passengers' conversations? (CBC)
Chicago's transit system is the latest to face a fiscal cliff, and officials are hoping to use the $730 million budget shortfall as an opportunity to reorganize the metro area's four separate transit agencies. (Slate)
Chicago also has a plan to boost the number of curbside electric vehicle charging stations (Smart Cities Dive).
Amtrak is apparently no longer involved in a proposed high-speed rail line between Houston and Dallas after the U.S. DOT nixed a $64 million planning grant. (Texas Tribune)
Ten years ago Los Angeles set a Vision Zero goal of 2025. Instead, traffic deaths rose to 303 last year. A new audit blames a lack of political will and poor coordination among city departments. (LAist)
Commuter rail to Delaware is on the chopping block if a budget shortfall forces the Southeastern Pennsylvania to cut service by 45 percent. (Delaware Online)
The South Phoenix light rail extension is scheduled to open June 7. (Arizona Republic)
Tucson is considering reinstating fares for buses and streetcars. (Arizona Daily Star)
Denver's "slow zones" for light rail maintenance are costing the Regional Transportation District riders. (Denver Post)
A Washington state bill would allow judges to order speed-limiting devices installed on reckless drivers' cars, and one mother wrote about how such technology could have saved her son's life. (The Urbanist)
As antisemitism rises in France, a new ride-hailing app for Hebrew speakers is growing in popularity. (Times of Israel)
Americans are lusting after France's new high-speed trains. (Grist)