Thursday’s Headlines Fight for Your Rights
Louisiana v. Callais is not going to work out well for anyone who supports transit or equity in transportation.
By
Blake Aued
12:01 AM EDT on April 30, 2026
- It’s not strictly a transportation story, but the Supreme Court’s decision to neuter what’s left of the Voting Rights Act (CNN; Democracy Forward) will give pro-highway Republicans representing white suburban and rural districts an advantage in future elections while silencing the voices of many Americans in currently majority Black districts who rely on transit, particularly in the South. If you live in a blue city in a red state, get ready for more gerrymandering.
- Autonomous vehicle companies want you to believe that AVs are safer than human drivers. In a story citing Streetsblog NYC, Futurism wonders why, if that’s the case, robotaxis have such a hard time with bike lanes? It’s a feature, not a bug. Human riders want to be dropped off on the curb, regardless of whether a bike lane’s there or not (Planetizen).
- Demonstrating competence by providing basic services like filling potholes will make city residents more open to ambitious projects. (Governing)
- Cutting back weekend service might make sense, but does it discourage potential riders from commuting by transit? (Car Free America)
- A Brown University study found that living in a car-centric area makes people more likely to be schizophrenic because of the breakdown in the social fabric.
- The Federal Transit Administration continues to vacillate over the Ballard Link Extension. (The Urbanist)
- Boston Mayor Michelle Wu released a plan to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. (Globe)
- A coalition of Milwaukee groups that don’t usually advocate for transit but work with people who rely on transit are lobbying the Wisconsin state government for more transit funding. (Urban Milwaukee)
- Huge crowds for the NFL Draft show why Pittsburgh Regional Transit needs more funding. (CBS News)
- Dallas Area Rapid Transit is installing some state-of-the-art bus shelters. (Metro)
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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