Friday’s Headlines Are In the Clear

Transit consultant Jarrett Walker explains to frustrated drivers why bus-only lanes are important.

12:01 AM EDT on June 13, 2025

Empty bus lanes are a good thing, because they mean one motorist isn't holding up 30 other people on a bus, Human Transit author Jarrett Walker writes in the Globe and Mail.
The U.S. DOT released grant funding for almost 200 rail and transit projects. (Trains)
A Senate committee approved President Trump's nomination of Sean McMaster to head the Federal Highway Administration. (Transport Topics)
Electric buses have many benefits, but they don't perform well in below-freezing weather, according to a Cornell University study. (WRVO)
A sales tax referendum to fund roads, rail and transit in metro Charlotte is moving through the North Carolina legislature. (Blue Ridge Public Radio)
The Twin Cities' notoriously slow 21 bus is about to replaced by bus rapid transit. (Axios)
Miami is considering a plan to double the allowed density near transit stations. (WLRN)
The head of Philadelphia transit agency SEPTA went to the capital in Harrisburg to lobby for more state funding. (KYW)
Birmingham officials are frustrated that state law doesn't allow them to use gas taxes to fund transit. (WVTM)
Traffic deaths in North Dakota hit a 24-year low. (Grand Forks Herald)
The Hop streetcar in Milwaukee is changing its route and expanding hours for Summerfest attendees this weekend. (Journal-Sentinel)
Cleveland's sidewalks are so jacked up that skunks are making nests underneath them. (News 5)