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:
Streetsblog has migrated to a new comment system. New commenters can register directly in the comments section of any article. Returning commenters: your previous comments and display name have been preserved, but you'll need to reclaim your account by clicking "Forgot your password?" on the sign-in form, entering your email, and following the verification link to set a new password — this is required because passwords could not be carried over during the migration. For questions, contact tips@streetsblog.org.
More from Streetsblog USA
Even In NYC, Greenway Funding Falls Short
Advocates say budget green doesn't buy much greenway.
June 10, 2026
Wednesday’s Headlines Have a DD
Maybe there should be more consequences for the most dangerous drivers among us.
June 10, 2026
Amtrak’s Penn Station Dog And Pony Show Avoided the Only Question That Matters
How much will this thing cost, and who's paying?
June 9, 2026
Tuesday’s Headlines’ Goal Is Better Transit
The World Cup could lead to improved transit in U.S. host cities well beyond the end of the tournament.
June 9, 2026
Team Newsom Just Created a Massive Transit Funding Crisis. Now the Legislature Needs to Fix It. Again.
To meet climate goals, Californians need alternatives to cars. Unfortunately, Sacramento just made that job much harder.
June 8, 2026