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

Thursday’s Headlines, Big and Small

Smaller cities should try congestion pricing, too. Plus, the latest in the tiff between Sean Duffy and Kathy Hochul.

Louisville’s I-65 bridge is a great example of how charging drivers keeps cars off the road. Photo: Trimarc

  • Congestion pricing isn't just for big cities, and it works even without robust transit. For example, tolling at a Louisville bridge cut Ohio River crossings by 50,000 cars a day. (City Observatory, Streetsblog USA)
  • Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is once again threatening to pull New York's funding if Gov. Kathy Hochul doesn't cancel congestion pricing (The Hill). However, an investigation by Streetsblog NYC found that no one ever raised concerns about congestion pricing during the first Trump administration, poking a major hole in Duffy's legal argument.
  • The U.S. DOT will no longer look kindly on federal grant applications for road diets, even though they've been shown to cut crashes in half. (ABC News, Streetsblog USA)
  • If Trump is really worried about wasteful spending, he should be funding intercity buses, which provide a high return on investment compared to other modes of transportation. (Smart Cities Dive)
  • Tariffs will raise costs for transit agencies, but could also be an opportunity to convince policymakers of the need for more funding. (Mass Transit)
  • A California lawsuit alleges that Tesla is manipulating odometer readings to make warranties expire sooner. (Ars Technica)
  • Chicago Magazine delves into the troubled Chicago Transit Authority to find out why the L is worth saving.
  • Philadelphia homeowners along five regional rail lines will lose $20 billion in property value if TESLA cuts their service. (WHYY)
  • Massive proposed cuts to Pittsburgh Regional Transit would choke city streets with traffic and leave thousands of people stranded at home. (NEXT Pittsburgh)
  • The Atlanta airport is raising parking rates (Fox 5), which is all the more reason to park at a MARTA station and ride the train.
  • Kansas City has finished track work on the Riverfront streetcar extension. (Fox 4 KC)
  • Seattle is taking the first steps toward expanding the use of cameras to enforce traffic laws. (The Urbanist)
  • Rebuilding Cincinnati's Brent Spence Bridge will require closing a section of a Northern Kentucky bike trail for five years. (Enquirer)
  • A Canadian judge told Ontario Premier Doug Ford not to tear up three Toronto bike lanes until the judge rules whether it's constitutional. (CBC)

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Confirmed: Non-Driving Infrastructure Creates ‘Induced Demand,’ Too

Widening a highway to cure congestion is like losing weight by buying bigger pants — but thanks to the same principle of "induced demand," adding bike paths and train lines to cure climate actually works.

January 9, 2026

Friday’s Headlines Are Unsustainably Expensive

To paraphrase former New York City mayoral candidate Jimmy McMillan, the car payment is too damn high.

January 9, 2026

Talking Headways Podcast: Poster Sessions at Mpact in Portland

Young professionals discuss the work they’ve been doing including designing new transportation hubs, rethinking parking and improving buses.

January 8, 2026

Exploding Costs Could Doom One of America’s Greatest Highway Boondoggles

The Interstate Bridge Replacement Project and highway expansion between Oregon and Washington was already a boondoggle. Then the costs ballooned to $17.7 billion.

January 8, 2026

Mayor Bowser Blasts U.S. DOT Talk of Eliminating Enforcement Cameras in DC

The federal Department of Transportation is exploring how to dismantle the 26-year-old enforcement camera system in Washington, D.C.

January 8, 2026

Thursday’s Headlines Are Making Progress

By Yonah Freemark's count, 19 North American transit projects opened last year, with another 19 coming in 2026.

January 8, 2026
See all posts