Wednesday’s Headlines Don’t Got a Fast Car

If Tracy Chapman had saved "just a little bit of money" these days, she'd be in trouble.

By Blake Aued

12:01 AM EST on March 4, 2026

Just sign over a whole year’s salary!

|Antoni Shkabra

Three-quarters of Americans think new cars — which now average over $50,000 — are unaffordable. Jalopnik blames low wages, rather than rising car prices relative to inflation, but what if the problem is that most people in the U.S. need a car in the first place?
Tolling is not very elastic, in economic terms. That means a fairly sizeable toll hike is needed to get a small reduction in traffic. (Transportation Technology Today)
E-bike incentive programs are shifting from rebates to more equitable point-of-sale discounts, which reduce the upfront cost. (Transportation Research and Education Center)
From a New Urban perspective, simplifying zoning would result in denser development, much like in ancient times. (CNU Public Square)
A movement to ban or limit new gas stations is radiating from California to other states and cities, and coming into conflict with the Trump administration's push for burning more fossil fuels. (Sierra Club)
The Trump administration's legal effort to withhold funding for a new Hudson River tunnel could eventually add $1 billion to the Gateway Project's $16 billion price tag. (NJ.com)
Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek quickly signed a bill moving a transportation funding referendum from November to May after the state legislature passed it on Monday. (Capital Chronicle)
Los Angeles County has more than 300,000 acres of pavement, and almost half of it is unnecessary, according to a recent study. The biggest culprit isn't too-wide roads, but private parking lots and even paved-over yards. (L.A. Times)
Kansas is revoking transgender drivers' licenses, even one trans woman who never officially changed her gender. (Assigned Media, Streetsblog USA)
A Black political group in Charlotte filed a lawsuit seeking to block an I-77 widening project. (Observer)
Increased flooding is making Honolulu's Pearl Harbor bike path unusable at times, and forcing riders onto dangerous roads. (Civil Beat)
Seattle's Sound Transit announced it will add more late-night trains during the FIFA World Cup. (Fox 13)
Syracuse has hired its first Vision Zero coordinator. (WAER)
Twenty years ago Portland was on the cutting edge of bike infrastructure — and the iconic signage to go along with it. (BikePortland)