Wednesday’s Headlines on a Hot Tin Roof
We're talking about streetcars, but are really tired of "desire" puns.
By
Blake Aued
12:01 AM EDT on August 13, 2025
- Suddenly, last summer, cities’ menageries of streetcars began to shrink, starting with Washington, D.C.’s. Without dedicated lanes, streetcars get stuck in the same congestion as cars, and in too many places they’ve been used to spur economic development in depopulated neighborhoods rather serving already-dense areas. (Governing)
- When a self-driving car causes a wreck, who (or what) is responsible? The manufacturer, most likely, but the likelihood of winning in court depends on whether the robocar’s performance is compared to human drivers or other robocars (Brookings). Just don’t look to the federal government for answers — hardly anyone is left at the office that regulates self-driving vehicles (Politico Pro).
- The Trump administration will stop withholding $2.5 billion in Biden-era grants for electric vehicle chargers, but will require states to reapply for them, further delaying the implementation process. (Sierra Club)
- Ford invented the assembly line, and now it’s attempting to reinvent it to compete with China and make a cheaper EV. (Wired)
- Metropolitan planning organizations, or MPOs, that heavily influence local transportation decisions are rarely representative of the public, and often dominated by outlying suburbs. (Urban Institute)
- Daylighting, or prohibiting parking near street corners so people crossing the street can see, can prevent flooding as well as pedestrian deaths. (City Limits)
- A Nebraska state senator is gauging interesting in passenger rail between Lincoln and Omaha. (Examiner)
- The proposed route for a Phoenix light rail extension would destroy several historic houses. Valley Metro had to change the route after Republicans pushed through limitations on transit construction near the state Capitol. (New Times)
- Seattle radio station KUOW‘s “Soundside” podcast interviewed the CEO of Sound Transit.
- China is trying out hydrogen-powered bikeshare bikes in Chengdu and other cities. (Dialogue Earth)
- Walmart is testing a big rig powered by green hydrogen fuel cells in Chile. (Spectrum)
- Are cable cars the answer to Canadian cities’ congestion? (CBC)
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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