Tuesday’s Headlines Peace Out
The congressman at the helm of the House transportation committee is stepping down. Who will step up?
By
Blake Aued
12:01 AM EDT on March 31, 2026
- Sam Graves, the Missouri Republican who chairs the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, won’t run for re-election this year. Graves has said the next transportation funding bill will focus on highways. However, Democrats also laud him as a bipartisan proponent of safety projects (Transport Topics). It may not make much difference, since the deadline to pass the surface transportation authorization bill is the end of September, and Democrats are widely expected to take over the House and committee gavels next year anyway. If that happens, Rep. Rick Larsen (D-Wash.) would be next in line.
- As autonomous vehicles spread, cities should be collaborating with tech companies while also making preparations for emergencies, according to a former New York City fire chief. (Time)
- Wide streets encourage larger vehicles, while the narrow streets and limited parking of urban areas incentivize compact cars. (National Law Review)
- AI license plate readers can help catch scofflaw drivers and other criminals, but can also be used to surveil protests and to target transgender and immigrant communities. (The Conversation)
- Chicago is considering following New York City’s lead on implementing congestion pricing, but the policy would likely target freeway congestion rather than downtown’s relatively free-flowing surface streets. (CityLab)
- With Portland considering a household fee to pay for road repairs, City Observatory argues that residents would be subsidizing outside commuters, so a gas tax and parking fees would be more fair.
- East New Orleans residents are calling for better lighting and sidewalks around I-10. (Times-Picayune; paywall)
- Newport Beach, California police made an arrest in a road-rage case against a group of cyclists, including professional Luke Fetzer. (NBC Los Angeles)
- In Boulder, a driver was sentenced to 18 years for killing a cyclist in a hit-and-run. (9 News)
- Downtown Tampa is getting new protected bike lanes. (WTSP)
- Tens of thousands of people turned out for the opening of Seattle’s new floating light rail bridge. (The Urbanist)
- San Antonio is painting new rainbow sidewalks to replace the rainbow crosswalks the Trump administration and Texas DOT made it remove. (News-Express; paywall)
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.
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