Wednesday’ Headlines Are On Autopilot
Don't be afraid of regulating driverless cars out of existence, writes Angie Schmitt. The industry needs guardrails.
By
Blake Aued
12:01 AM EST on December 10, 2025
- Autonomous vehicles could very well save lives because humans are such bad drivers, writes former Streetsblog editor Angie Schmitt, but they need to be regulated, and they can’t be the only solution to traffic deaths (Love of Place). In related news, China is coming closer to solving the conundrum of who’s liable when a driverless vehicle hits someone. (Clean Technica)
- So many students are sleeping in their cars that some colleges are starting to provide safe parking lots with access to bathrooms. (Hechinger Report)
- President Trump is once again on the attack against transit — and immigration — after another light rail stabbing in Charlotte (CBS News), and the Federal Transit Administration is threatening to withhold funding from the Chicago Transit Authority after passengers set two fires (NBC Chicago). Reminder: These kids of attacks, while tragic, make the news because they are so rare, whereas cars kill more than 100 people a day.
- A U.S. House bill sponsored by a California Democrat would provide $50 million a year for transit agencies to hire police officers and upgrade safety infrastructure. (The Center Square)
- Congestion pricing cut air pollution in Manhattan by 22%, according to a Cornell study. (Phys.org)
- The D.C. region’s long-term transportation plan spends too much money on highways and not enough on transit. (Greater Greater Washington)
- Portland’s TriMet cut night bus service on five routes last weekend, the first of three cuts planned over the next year as the agency grapples with a $300 million deficit. (Oregon Public Broadcasting).
- Seattle Transit Blog has suggestions for Mayor-elect Katie Wilson to improve bus service.
- L.A. police arrested a guerilla urbanist for painting a crosswalk without a permit. (NBC Los Angeles)
- New Orleans is planning its first bus rapid transit line. (Times-Picayune; paywall)
- Wichita will add bike lanes to Douglas Avenue and swap out angled parker for safer parallel parking. (KWCH)
- Grammy-nominated musician Roderick Macleod was killed while walking his dogs in Rhode Island by a driver who police said had 82 warrants and 40 previous traffic citations. (CBS News)
- Carsharing company Zipcar is leaving the U.K., making it that much harder to get by without a personal automobile. (The Guardian)
- European cities like Paris and Cardiff are restricting huge American-style cars. (AS)
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
Why Cities Need More ‘Agile’ Streets
When projects are routed through a full capital-improvement workflow, solutions tend toward expensive, permanent interventions — not alternatives that might achieve 80 percent of the benefit at 10 percent of the cost.
March 26, 2026
Wednesday’s Headlines Feel Pain at the Pump
High gas prices are likely to persist, and people will be driving less in response.
March 25, 2026
D.C. Advocates Sue To Save Key Bike Lane From Trump Teardown
We previously reported that the Trump administration might soon move to dismantle key cycle tracks in the nation's capital. Unfortunately, we were right.
March 24, 2026
How a ‘Universal Basic Neighborhood’ Can Help Americans Live Longer
Want to increase your chances of living to 80? A new paper argues we need to start with our neighborhoods — and we need to do it for everybody.
March 24, 2026
Tuesday’s Headlines Keep Our Eyes on the Road
How much responsibility do tech companies bear for traffic deaths caused by distracted driving?
March 24, 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.