Monday’s Headlines Could Be Worse
Passenger rail and public transit would get a slight bump under the Trump administration's budget proposal, which might be the only decent news we got over the weekend.
By
Blake Aued
12:01 AM EDT on June 9, 2025
- As with so many things, President Trump runs hot and cold on transit, on one hand lamenting the lack of bullet trains in the U.S., and on the other trying to cripple the California high-speed rail project. His budget proposal splits the difference, pretty much leaving transit funding alone. (Smart Cities Dive)
- Transit ridership is not bouncing back in the U.S. as much as it is in Europe and Asia. (CityLab)
- Is the Republican anti-EV propaganda working? Almost two-thirds of Americans say they’re unlikely to buy an electric vehicle, the lowest level since 2019. (Gizmodo)
- Thousands of people marched through Los Angeles on Sunday to protest the Trump administration’s deportation policies. Some blocked freeways and set Waymo robotaxis on fire (L.A. Times). The autonomous vehicles are unpopular, but they also have battery packs that are known to be hard to extinguish.
- New York’s successful congestion pricing program gives other cities a blueprint for countering all the objections that are sure to arise. (Brookings Institute)
- Austin opened up bidding on contracts worth $7 billion to build a new light rail system. (Community Impact)
- Tesla is trying to block Austin from releasing public records about its robotaxi trial there. (Reuters)
- The Trump administration could pull back a $158 million grant to help build a park over Atlanta’s Downtown Connector freeway. (Urbanize Atlanta)
- Charlotte drivers have killed at least 31 people so far this year. (Axios)
- A new report from Walk Bike Nashville urges the city to take immediate action on traffic safety. (Fox 17)
- Maui lost six people to dangerous streets in 2024. (Honolulu City Beat)
- Tempe has started issuing $250 tickets to drivers caught speeding on camera or running red lights. (KTAR)
- Maryland is starting on a second round of quick-build Complete Streets projects. (Roads & Bridges)
- Cuyahoga County committed $4 million to Cleveland-area traffic safety projects. (Spectrum News)
- Frederick Van Meerbeke became the first cyclist in Houston when he rode his bike through the city on a cross-country round-trip in the 1880s. (What Are Streets For)
- Only in New Orleans: People were cutting in line at 3 a.m. to get on the Canal Street streetcar when it resumed operations. (Times-Picayune)
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.
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