Thursday’s Headlines Need Alternatives

Economics 101: Competition brings down costs.

By Blake Aued

12:01 AM EST on February 26, 2026

Providing more transportation options would make travel cheaper, not deregulating the auto industry.

|Photo: John Greenfield

The U.S. government has spent 70 years trying to make automobile travel cheaper, but the real way toward saving on transportation costs is to provide more options beyond cars. (Transportation for America)
The Trump administration hates electric vehicles, and Detroit is bad at building them, putting the U.S. auto industry further and further behind. (The Verge)
David Zipper interviewed an expert on car insurance about the safety of self-driving vehicles. There's not enough data yet to tell whether they're safer than human drivers. (CityLab)
Uber has created a new division devoted to autonomous vehicles. (TechCrunch)
Madison, Wisconsin has figured out a way to keep battery-electric buses running in extremely cold weather, using overhead chargers and regenerative braking to top off batteries. (Grist)
More than 2 million people a year walk, bike or skate on the Beltline in car-centric Atlanta. (The City Fix)
San Diego police are making fewer traffic stops, while at the same time traffic deaths are rising. (KPBS)
Utah legislators are considering redirecting $100 million in transportation funds toward infrastructure for new housing. (Salt Lake Tribune)
Washington state lawmakers are likely to borrow $2 billion for transportation projects. (The Urbanist)
Nebraska reached a deal with the U.S. DOT to speed up highway projects by doing its own environmental reviews. (Examiner)
The Michigan DOT is considering bus-only lanes in Ann Arbor. (MLive)
Late for a flight to Milan for the Olympics closing ceremony, DJ Diplo hopped on a shared bike in Miami and pedaled down some pretty dangerous roads to the airport. (Yahoo!)