Tuesday’s Headlines Are Blocked In
Cities and regional governments could do a better job of spending federal transportation money than states, argues the Brookings Institute.
By
Blake Aued
12:01 AM EDT on May 13, 2025
- The Brookings Institute says the federal government should use regional block grants to fund transportation, much like housing, under the logic that cities and regions would be more likely than states to spend money on transformational projects.
- The New Yorker‘s rising star Zach Helfand had a brutal takedown of U.S. DOT Secretary Sean “Road Rules” Duffy.
- A Massachusetts startup is working on smaller and cheaper solid-state batteries that could revolutionize the electric vehicle industry. (New York Times)
- The CEO of Flixbus and Greyhound urges Congress to fund intercity bus stations. (The Hill)
- Momentum lists its picks for the best new bikeways in the U.S., including projects in Chicago, San Diego, Pittsburgh and Detroit.
- A bill that could kill Dallas Area Rapid Transit passed out of a committee in the Texas legislature. (Dallas Observer)
- In Oregon, Democrats want to raise taxes to fund transit, while Republicans want to cut transit funding entirely. (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
- In a new podcast, reporters for The Oregonian ponder how Portland transit agency TriMet lost 30 million riders a year.
- Better transit would encourage more housing development in Philadelphia by raising property values. (Citizen)
- A Montana bill would let municipal transit agencies expand beyond city limits. (Daily Montanan)
- The new Redmond light rail project near Seattle also includes new bike trails. (Seattle Bike Blog)
- The University of Washington developed a handlebar sensor cyclists can use to map collisions and close calls.
- What should be the new Popemobile? (Jalopnik)
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:
More from Streetsblog USA
Transportation Advocates Split on Senate’s Big Permitting Bill
Would the BAAJA blast multimodal projects out of bureaucratic purgatory, make it a breeze to expand highways ... or both? Advocates sound off.
November 11, 2026
Wednesday’s Headlines Vote With Our Feet
What will it take to get pro-transit voters to actually ride transit?
November 11, 2026
How (And Why) To Capture the Livable Streets Movement on Film
Clarence Eckerson Jr. of Streetfilms talks with "The War on Cars" about how he uses filmmaking as a tool to make cities better.
November 10, 2026
Tuesday’s Headlines Are Still Surfing the Blue Wave
Politicians may not realize it, but U.S. voters are overwhelmingly in favor of transit.
November 10, 2026
The Growing Vehicle Problem That California Needs to Address
As pedestrian and cyclist deaths rise, the growing size and weight of American vehicles are making streets more dangerous. Here's some solutions: tax oversized vehicles, improve safety ratings and make smaller electric vehicles a more practical option for everyday trips.
November 9, 2026
