Friday’s Headlines Thrive With Women in Charge
Mayors like Barcelona's Ada Colau, Montreal's Valerie Plante and Anne Hidalgo in Paris transformed their cities.
By
Blake Aued
12:01 AM EDT on April 24, 2026
- In several major cities, mayors are taking public space once dedicated to cars and rededicating it to people and bikes. They also have something else in common: Many of them are women. (The Guardian)
- Benches are vanishing from train stations, sidewalks, parks and other public spaces. (Places Journal)
- David Zipper interviewed a historian specializing in transportation who says cities like New York are right to be skeptical of robotaxis. Just as automakers once promised flying cars and smart highways that were just a few years away, there’s no guarantee that self-driving cars will succeed, despite the hype. (CityLab)
- Pete Saunders suggests turning state and federal highways that serve as major arterial roads through cities into pedestrian- and bike-friendly boulevards. (The Corner Side Yard)
- Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy wants cities and states to widen their roads, as if that were a real solution to traffic congestion. (Streetsblog USA)
- Green tram tracks that run along grass rather than concrete help keep cities cooler. (The Conversation)
- Bikes are less likely to be stolen on steep streets. (International Journal of Sustainable Transportation)
- Miami’s bus network redesign is frustrating riders, leading to a decline in ridership. (Herald)
- Houston is turning seven blocks of Main Street into a walkable Santa Monica-style promenade. (Islands)
- A Colorado bill would remove conservative areas from a special tax district that’s raising revenue for the Front Range passenger rail line. (Sun)
- Delaware and New Jersey are increasingly using cameras to catch speeding drivers. (WHYY)
- Local governments in the Research Triangle are making significant progress on their sustainability goals, but there’s only so much they can do alone. (Indy Week)
- When it comes to bikes, Davis, California is the Amsterdam of the U.S. (Urban Cycling Institute)
- Richmond has a new bike lane sweeper named “Baby Broom.” (Axios)
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
‘Diversity; in Transportation Planning is Under Attack — But These Experts Say It’s More Important Now Than Ever
Minority-owned planning firms are as essential as they ever were, these four top experts argue — no matter what the White House says.
September 23, 2026
Where the Battles Against Harmful Highways and Hyper-Scale Data Centers Collide
Hyperscale AI data centers and highways are both harmful forms of fossil fuel infrastructure that get built without much community input — and it's time to fight back against both, one of our favorite podcasters argues.
September 22, 2026
I Survived the Santa Monica Farmer’s Market Crash
A survivor of a mass casualty reflects on what she's learned about car culture, grief, and resilience.
September 22, 2026
Tuesday’s Headlines Are a Speed Trap
There's a downside to enforcing traffic laws when cities do it to raise revenue rather than to save lives.
September 22, 2026
What Would It Take to Get ‘Fast, Free Buses’ Nationwide?
It might sound crazy — but is it crazy enough to work, even as governments take aim at steep transit cuts?
September 21, 2026
