Wednesday’s Headlines Are Graded on a Curve
Maybe one reason the U.S. has so many traffic deaths is that it's so easy to get a driver's license compared to other countries.
By
Blake Aued
12:01 AM EST on November 12, 2025
- The U.S. is one of the easiest countries in the world to get a driver’s license in. Only 35 percent of applicants pass Japan’s test. France requires 3,000 kilometers of supervised driving. In Croatia, drivers must pass medical, sight and psychological exams. (Jalopnik)
- What’s the difference between e-bikes, scooters and mopeds? Most people don’t know, so Lloyd Alter argues that regulations need to be simplified — vehicles that require pedaling are allowed in bike lanes, and fully motorized ones are not. (Carbon Upfront!)
- Sprawl might solve a city’s housing problem in the short run, but in the long run California’s approach of transit-oriented development is better. (Governing)
- People profiled Amy Cohen, a Brooklyn woman who started the advocacy group Families for Safe Streets after a van driver killed her young son.
- Even the highway-happy Texas DOT now admits that the state can’t pave its way out of congestion, and needs intercity rail as well as more walking and biking options to accommodate a rapidly growing population. (Texas Tribune)
- A former freeway viaduct in Seattle is now a waterfront linear park that serves as the city’s “front door.” (CityLab)
- Oregon Gov. Tina Kopek finally signed an emergency transportation funding package. (KPTV)
- A family that owns dozens of Tampa parking lots is turning one into a mixed-use development. (Tampa Bay Times)
- Tempe is considering raising parking rates to keep the Sun Link streetcar fare-free. (Luminaria)
- The Hawaii DOT announced a new pedestrian, bike and transit initiative. (Big Island Now)
- Vision Zero North Dakota will hold a memorial for victims of traffic violence. (KX News)
- Wyoming’s last streetcar is being restored by a community group. (Sheridan Press)
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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