Tuesday’s Headlines Become More Affordable

Cities can help residents cut their average $13,000 annual transportation costs.

By Blake Aued

12:01 AM EST on January 27, 2026

Investing in walking and biking infrastructure like Hamburg, N.Y. can save people money because they don’t need a car.

|Photo: Complete Streets

"Affordability" is the big political buzzword these days, and transportation is one area where cities can make a difference by investing in transit and complete streets. (Governing)
Amtrak is getting less affordable, though, at least for those who wait too long to buy tickets. Dynamic pricing in some cases makes taking the train more expensive than flying, but it's also brought in much-needed revenue and hasn't hurt ridership. (New York Times)
A federal judge ruled that the Trump administration illegally froze $5 billion for electric vehicle chargers and must make the money available to states. (Electrek)
Rhode Island Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse is a vocal critic of Democrats who think downplaying climate change will help them at the polls. (E&E News)
Active Towns explores the social, emotional and cognitive benefits of biking. (YouTube)
To avoid slipping on icy sidewalks, walk like a penguin. (HuffPost)
ICE is making streets unsafe in Minneapolis' vibrant immigrant communities, causing wrecks and hurting businesses that rely on foot traffic. (streets.mn)
Los Angeles protesters held a "die-in" to draw attention to the city's 290 traffic deaths last year. (L.A. Times)
The Trump administration is trying to get rid of bike lanes in Washington, D.C. (Streetsblog USA)
Hawaii is deploying 1,000 dashcams on state-owned and private vehicles to create a massive database of road conditions. (Government Technology)
Republican state legislators are trying to block a light rail extension in Arizona's capital of Phoenix. (KJZZ)
Tucson voters will decide in March whether to continue a half-penny sales tax that would provide more than $700 million for transit over 20 years. (Sentinel)
Seattle's two streetcar lines face an uncertain future. (The Urbanist)
The mayor of Grand Rapids wants to triple the rate for on-street parking downtown to keep cars off the curb. (Fox 17)
An LSU student started an after-school program that teaches Baton Rouge kids how to build and repair bikes.
Kansas City will feature local art and performers along the streetcar route during the World Cup. (Star)