Should Monday’s Headlines Carry a Carrot or a Stick?

Human beings generally don't like being forced to do anything, so Grist wonders whether policies like car bans could actually be counterproductive?

By Blake Aued

12:01 AM EST on January 12, 2026

A car-free street in Berlin. Photo: Ralph Buehler.

While government mandates like banning cars in urban centers have great benefits for public health and the environment, they can also lead to backlash and erode support for green policies, according to a new study. (Grist)
Research also shows that localizing the impact of climate change makes the issue less abstract by pointing out how it affects familiar places. (The Conversation)
Scientists are working to preserve all of the federal climate data the Trump administration is stripping off the internet. (E&E News)
Everything from lighting to the number of windows on buildings influence how safe women feel walking down the street, but city planners rarely ask women about these issues. (BBC)
Angie Schmitt wants people to stop shaming parents for taking their kids on a plane or in other public spaces. (Love of Place)
More and more parents in the Western U.S. are organizing "bike buses" for their kids to ride to school safely en masse. (Inside Climate News)
New York City's new mayor, Zohran Mamdani, hit the ground running when it comes to bike projects. (Curbed; paywall)
After voters approved a $19 billion transit referendum, the Charlotte City Council is considering spending $4 million to create a new regional transit agency. (WCNC)
The Kansas City streetcar is hitting record levels of ridership since the Main Street extension opened in October. (Rail Fan)
Does Indianapolis have the political will to follow through on Vision Zero? (Mirror Indy)
Vision Zero is finally working in San Francisco, where traffic deaths fell 42 percent in 2025. (Examiner)
Pittsburgh Regional Transit is at least adding seats to bus stops that lack shelters. (Post-Gazette; paywall)
Virginia Beach is adding bike lanes, sidewalks, crosswalks and small parks to Atlantic Avenue. (Virginian-Pilot)
WA Bikes is pushing a bill in the Washington state legislature that would strengthen complete streets. (Seattle Bike Blog)
Greater Greater Washington says Politico focused more on budget implications than lives saved in a recent story about the Trump administration's effort to ban D.C. traffic enforcement cameras.
The Texas DOT bowed to a Trump administration order to remove rainbow crosswalks, so San Antonio will create a rainbow sidewalk instead. (San Antonio Report)