Wednesday’s Headlines Get Ready for War

Rural hostility toward transit could wreck American cities, and as a result the economy as a whole, according to Jarrett Walker.

By Blake Aued

12:01 AM EDT on September 24, 2025

Portland is one of many cities facing a fiscal cliff for transit in the coming years.

|Creative Commons.

For half a century transit has been a proxy for urban-rural culture wars, writes transit consultant Jarrett Walker. The result has been that transit is kept alive, but with few significant expansions. Contrary to many claims, technology will never render transit obsolete, and if transit fails then everyone will pay the price. (CityLab)
The Senate confirmed President Trump's nominees to head the Federal Highway Administration and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. (Transportation Today)
California Gov. Gavin Newsom criticized the White House for killing federal electric vehicle tax credits, but said the state government can't afford to replace them. He also said the CEO of General Motors "sold us out" when California tried to ban the sale of new gas-powered vehicles by 2035. (Bloomberg)
Maryland's Purple Line, with its long delays and cost overruns, is a textbook example of how not to build transit. (Baltimore Banner)
With a Kansas City streetcar extension nearly finished, officials are eying the historic 18th and Vine jazz district next. (KMBC)
Michigan legislators are discussing regional transit as a budget deadline looms. (CBS News)
Charlotte is considering expanding a private security agency's jurisdiction around light rail stations after a headline-grabbing fatal stabbing. (Queen City News)
Miami-Dade commissioners scrapped a proposed transit fare hike before passed a $13 billion budget. (Miami Times)
Fatal crashes in Austin are outpacing last year. (CBS Austin)
A Nashville lawsuit filed by an Uber driver who alleges that a male passenger sexually assaulted her cuts to the heart of the company's independent contractor business model. (Tennessean)
Richmond is responding to an uptick in red-light running by installing cameras at 10 intersections. (12 On Your Side)
Car prices have gotten so out of control that even a multimillionaire like champion boxer Floyd Mayweather is mad enough to sue over being overcharged for a rare Maybach. (TMZ)