Tuesday’s Headlines Are Underwater

More and more people can't afford their car payments or associated costs — which wouldn't be as big of a problem if they had a choice other than driving.

By Blake Aued

12:01 AM EDT on March 17, 2026

Source: Shutterstock

There are many reasons why the cost of car ownership is up 40 percent since 2020 — supply chains, interest rates, automakers' focus on the most profitable vehicles, unsavory dealers (New York Times) — but two things the people most hurt seem to have in common when ti comes to transportation costs are long commutes and no access to transit.
State DOTs are feeling the pinch, too, as high gas prices from the Iran war drag down gas tax collections and contribute to inflation. (Governing)
The Trump administration is suing California over its regulations on tailpipe emissions, which are the strictest in the nation. (Associated Press)
Los Angeles promised a "transit first" 2028 Summer Olympics with a 100% zero-emissions bus fleet. But the city still needs tens of thousands of chargers that can take 24 months or more to procure and install. (CityLab)
The Washington state legislature passed a bill allowing Sound Transit to cut through local red tape, but also rejected a tax on millionaires and longer 75-year bonds. (The Urbanist)
A bill in the Minnesota legislature would consolidate suburban Twin Cities transit agencies. (Minneapolis Star-Tribune)
Jeff Bezos' newly Trumpified Washington Post compares Bay Area transit workers to the mob.
Uber is bringing robotaxis to Las Vegas. (8 News Now)
Nashville is installing pedestrian streetlights that are synched up to walk signals at crosswalks. (WSMV)
D.C. streetcar, we hardly knew ye. (Greater Greater Washington)
Crowds flooded the Kansas City streetcar extension during the Big 12 basketball tournament, with Iowa State fans dubbing it the "Cyclone Train." (KSHB)