Wednesday’s Headlines Go On, Take the Money and Bike

France, the Netherlands and the U.K. do it. So why doesn't the U.S. incentivize people to ride e-bikes to work?

By Blake Aued

12:33 AM EDT on May 7, 2025

Photo: University of Twente

Why not pay people to commute by e-bike? (Momentum Mag)
U.S House Republicans say they're leveling the playing field by instituting a $250 fee on electric vehicles, but EV owners would actually pay more than double, on average, what the average gas-powered car owner pays in fuel taxes (Autoblog). The Washington Post further broke down the results.
Vox believes computers are better at driving cars than people, and they may be right — just not necessarily because Waymo says so.
Walmart is building a network of EV chargers. (Inc.)
How can colleges reduce the risks of e-bikes on campuses where students are walking? (Campus Safety)
In contrast to a 2010 estimate of more than $100 billion (Slate), the Transit Costs Project thinks train travel times in the Northeast Corridor could be cut drastically for a mere $17 billion.
A bipartisan group of Congress members is requesting $400 million in funding for transit projects to prepare for the World Cup. (Bloomberg)
Transit funding is one of Gov. Josh Shapiro's last remaining challenges as the Pennsylvania legislative session approaches a close (Philadelphia Tribune). He stands a good chance of accomplishing that based on a bill approved Monday (Capital-Star).
Far from being small government/local control conservatives, Republicans in the Texas legislature continue to seek new ways to tell cities what they can do with their money and their roads. (Texas Tribune)
The rest of metro Charlotte just sent a message to a holdout mayor to get behind a less-than-ideal agreement with North Carolina Republican state lawmakers on transit funding. (WFAE)
Portland Mayor Keith Wilson is proposing to blunt the impact of transportation budget cuts by raising parking rates and rideshare fees. (BikePortland)
A billion-dollar plan for bus rapid transit in Northern Virginia is coming closer to fruition. (FFXnow)
The Charleston Post and Courier editorial board keeps pushing for more complete streets.
Portland has three freeway ramps to nowhere. (Willamette Week)
If you're a millennial, riding the train in Seattle might make you feel your age. (Seattle Times)