Wednesday’s Headlines Are the Best of the Best
What does it take to turn the tide against the dominance of cars? These cities are an example.
12:24 AM EDT on October 8, 2025
- New York, Boston, Minneapolis and Portland are among the safest cities for cyclists, and it’s not by accident. They’ve all built protected bike networks, lowered speed limits and committed to changing the culture. (Momentum)
- The high cost of car ownership in the U.S. would seem to favor a curbside rental model, but Americans are hellbent on car ownership, and nobody from cities to rental companies seems to want to try to facilitate something else. (Millennial Dream)
- Technology to end drunk driving is now at hand, supposedly, like it was 10 years ago. (Government Technology)
- Publicly-funded transit projects aren’t the only ones getting more expensive: The price tag for the privately funded Brightline rail connection between Los Angeles and Las Vegas just rose by $5.5 billion due to labor and construction costs (Railway Age). Maybe privatization isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
- Smart Cities Dive describes how Boston and Massachusetts fixed a transit system prone to lateness and derailments.
- More than a decade after voters banned traffic cameras, Cleveland officials are considering bringing them back. (Plain Dealer)
- Miami Beach is the latest city to bow to President Trump, allowing the Florida DOT to remove a rainbow crosswalk on Ocean Drive. (NBC Miami)
- San Francisco data shows that cameras reduce speeding by 72 percent. (Examiner)
- What should Des Moines do about crashes on University Avenue? (Axios)
- The kids are alright, part infinity: Young Nebraskans are rebelling against cars. (Nebraska Public Media)
- Chile has reduced greenhouse gas emissions in part by improving transit, but smog is still a problem. (The Guardian)
- Leeds is proposing charging business owners that provide free parking for employees to pay for a tram system. (BBC)
Streetsblog has migrated to a new comment system. New commenters can register directly in the comments section of any article. Returning commenters: your previous comments and display name have been preserved, but you'll need to reclaim your account by clicking "Forgot your password?" on the sign-in form, entering your email, and following the verification link to set a new password — this is required because passwords could not be carried over during the migration. For questions, contact tips@streetsblog.org.
More from Streetsblog USA
Where the Hottest Blocks in Your City Are — And How To Cool Them Down
A cutting-edge tool is helping city leaders identify where they most badly need street trees, bus shelters, and more.
April 15, 2026
Wednesday’s Headlines Hop on Board Carefully
Riding the bus is safe. Walking to and from the bus stop, not so much.
April 15, 2026
Ask An Insurance Industry Insider: Safe Streets Are The Best Way To Bring Down Insurance Costs
Insurance companies and personal injury lawyers exist because streets aren't safe. So shouldn't we start there instead of tweaking a broken system?
April 15, 2026
What If All Cars Were Autonomous, Electric, and Free?
Can we really solve the problems of car dominance just by making cars less destructive?
April 14, 2026
“Why Do We Do This Bill?”: Preparing Congressional Staff for Surface Transportation Reauthorization
A top advocacy organization is preparing Congress to take a critical look at the upcoming transportation reauthorization — and it's not easy.
April 14, 2026