Wednesday’s Headlines Hurry Up and Wait
As cities save lives by slowing down traffic, every 5-miles-per-hour increase on interstates increases the chances of death by 8.5 percent.
By
Blake Aued
12:01 AM EDT on October 15, 2025
- While many cities are lowering speed limits and seeing fewer traffic deaths as a result, states are raising speed limits on freeways, increasing the risk of fatal crashes. (USA Today)
- The Trump administration is dismantling a Reagan-era program mandating that 10 percent of transportation grants go to small minority- or women-owned businesses. (Equipment World)
- David Zipper reviews three new books on “car brain.” (Bloomberg)
- Voters in Charlotte and communities in Colorado, Michigan and Washington state have transit referendums on the ballot this November (Smart Cities Dive). Early voting in Charlotte starts this week (WFAE).
- Meanwhile, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill laying the groundwork for a Bay Area transit referendum in 2026. (San Francisco Standard)
- The Chicago Transit Authority is proposed to raise fares by 25 cents as it faces a looming fiscal crisis (Tribune). But the problem isn’t just in Chicago — downstate Illinois transit agencies are also struggling and want the state to help (IPM News)
- Seattle’s King County Metro is backing off ambitious plans to electrify its bus fleet and is refocusing on trolleys (The Urbanist). Denver’s Regional Transportation District is doing the same thing, requesting funds to purchase new diesel models instead (CBS News).
- Buffalo is working on a “smart curb” plan to manage increasing demand for curbside space. (Smart Cities World)
- Lisbon voters re-elected their mayor in an election where a recent streetcar crash that killed 16 people was a major issue. (ABC News)
- The UK’s Labour government is nationalizing the nation’s privately owned railroads. (The Guardian)
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.
Read More:
More from Streetsblog USA
Friday Video: Five Bike Advocacy Mistakes You Don’t Even Know You’re Making
For one thing, make sure that political leaders who say "no" to livable streets experience consequences for their decisions.
March 27, 2026
Friday’s Headlines Take a Free Ride
Waymo has remote response teams, but when a robotaxi gets stuck, emergency responders have to get behind the wheel.
March 27, 2026
Despite Spin, Calif.’s Transportation Commission Funded a Lot of Highway Expansion Last Week
The gaslighting is almost as bad as the funding decisions.
March 26, 2026
Talking Headways Podcast: Congestion Pricing Data Collection
New York's congestion pricing data whiz discusses the program's first year.
March 26, 2026
How DC’s Mayor and Council Chair Thwarted Every Effort to Better Its Streetcar
There are two reasons why D.C. doesn't have the streetcar system it was promised — and their names are Mayor Muriel Bowser and DC Council Chair Phil Mendelson, one urbanist argues.
March 26, 2026
Comments Are Temporarily Disabled
Streetsblog is in the process of migrating our commenting system. During this transition, commenting is temporarily unavailable.
Once the migration is complete, you will be able to log back in and will have full access to your comment history. We appreciate your patience and look forward to having you back in the conversation soon.