Monday’s Gilded Headlines
Get ready for some really tacky-looking transportation projects.
By
Blake Aued
12:01 AM EST on February 9, 2026
- A new “beautification committee” appointed by Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy could reshape transportation infrastructure to suit President Trump’s aesthetic tastes — aka, classical instead of modernist architecture. (Fast Company)
- Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer rejected President Trump’s offer to release $16 billion for a Hudson River rail tunnel project, if Penn Station and Dulles Airport were named after Trump (NY Post). Soon after, a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to unfreeze the funding (Gothamist).
- In a potentially landmark case, an Arizona court found Uber liable for a driver sexually assaulting a passenger and ordered the company to pay $8.5 million. (NBC News)
- City Beautiful made a video about how jaywalking laws were written to serve the interests of the auto industry.
- The Las Vegas transit agency ordered 50 new low-emissions compressed natural gas buses from New Flyer. (Automotive World)
- Will Charlotte’s new transit authority finally open the Gateway station? (WFAE)
- Madison’s Vision Zero strategy is based on changing how drivers think. (WKOW)
- A pedestrian killed by a driver in Columbus, Ohio was forced into the roadway by impassable, snow-covered sidewalks. (Underground)
- A bill requiring e-bike riders to slow down near pedestrians is making its way through the Florida legislature. (CBS News)
- Utah legislators are still trying to stop Salt Lake City from calming traffic on city streets. (Salt Lake Tribune)
- Atlanta has renewed its e-bike rebate program, appropriating another $1 million. (Georgia Public Broadcasting)
- Blue Krewe is adding 400 new e-bikes to New Orleans’ bikeshare service before Mardi Gras. (The Advocate)
- San Antonio residents urgently want safer street designs, a city survey found. (KSAT)
- A Minneapolis driver injured a pedestrian by crashing an SUV into a light rail station. (CBS News)
- A San Francisco woman recalls how a man dressed in a bunny suit helped her after she was hit by a car while riding her bike. (Texas Public Radio)
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
State Bill Would Stop Highway Expansions Near Vulnerable New Yorkers
Assembly Member Emerita Torres's Stop Highway Community Harm Act would ban the state from expanding highways within 200 feet of public housing or in ZIP codes with the highest asthma-related emergency room visits in the state.
April 3, 2026
Friday’s Headlines Keep Our Eyes on the Road, Our Hands Upon the Wheel
Going to the roadhouse in a self-driving car does not mean you're gonna have a real good time.
April 3, 2026
Friday Video: A Master List of All The Reasons Why Car Domination Sucks
Jason Slaughter catalogues the many harms of America's preferred transportation monoculture.
April 2, 2026
Talking Headways Podcast: Civil Rights, Civic Transport
Let's talk about "disparate impact" — and why the Trump administration wants to gut it.
April 2, 2026
Study: How Capping Vehicle Sizes Could Help Save the World
...and why a multi-pronged transportation reform strategy is critical to curb climate change, slash road deaths, and more.
April 2, 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.