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
- 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)
Blake Aued has been doing Streetsblog's daily national news digest for years. He's also an Atlanta Braves fan, which enrages his editor in New York.
Read More:
Streetsblog has migrated to a new comment system. New commenters can register directly in the comments section of any article. Returning commenters: your previous comments and display name have been preserved, but you'll need to reclaim your account by clicking "Forgot your password?" on the sign-in form, entering your email, and following the verification link to set a new password — this is required because passwords could not be carried over during the migration. For questions, contact tips@streetsblog.org.
More from Streetsblog USA
‘Our Roads Are More Than Just Highways’: Democrats Urge U.S. Senate to Fund Transit Programs
A Trump administration proposal recommends massive cuts to popular programs – and it will cost American communities more than they can afford, Senate Democrats say.
May 14, 2026
Thursday’s Headlines Pump It Up
Until you can feel it (gas prices, that is). But you don't really need it (suspending gas taxes).
May 14, 2026
Study: Trump’s Transit Proposal Would Cost the Country So Many Jobs — And Not Just in Cities
... but an increase in funding would be a job-creating juggernaut.
May 13, 2026
Wednesday’s Headlines Are Bought and Paid For
The Union of Concerned Scientists explains how the highway lobby keeps so many of us in our cars.
May 13, 2026
Opinion: It’s Time to Rethink Our Congestion Obsession
Policymakers constantly suggest that we need to spend billions of dollars and bulldoze countless acres of land to fix traffic jams. But do we?
May 13, 2026
