- 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)
Today's Headlines
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.

Portland is one of many cities facing a fiscal cliff for transit in the coming years.
|Creative Commons.Stay in touch
Sign up for our free newsletter
More from Streetsblog USA
Confirmed: Non-Driving Infrastructure Creates ‘Induced Demand,’ Too
Widening a highway to cure congestion is like losing weight by buying bigger pants — but thanks to the same principle of "induced demand," adding bike paths and train lines to cure climate actually works.
Friday’s Headlines Are Unsustainably Expensive
To paraphrase former New York City mayoral candidate Jimmy McMillan, the car payment is too damn high.
Talking Headways Podcast: Poster Sessions at Mpact in Portland
Young professionals discuss the work they’ve been doing including designing new transportation hubs, rethinking parking and improving buses.
Exploding Costs Could Doom One of America’s Greatest Highway Boondoggles
The Interstate Bridge Replacement Project and highway expansion between Oregon and Washington was already a boondoggle. Then the costs ballooned to $17.7 billion.
Mayor Bowser Blasts U.S. DOT Talk of Eliminating Enforcement Cameras in DC
The federal Department of Transportation is exploring how to dismantle the 26-year-old enforcement camera system in Washington, D.C.
Thursday’s Headlines Are Making Progress
By Yonah Freemark's count, 19 North American transit projects opened last year, with another 19 coming in 2026.





