Today's Headlines

Monday’s Headlines Are for the Children

Right-wing academics are debating whether walkability should be a conservative value — something those on the left already know is good for kids.

By Blake Aued

12:01 AM EDT on May 18, 2026

To be efficient with new policies around safe streets, a consensus need to be made.

Dorret Oosterhoff

Are conservatives coming around to walkability? The American Enterprise Institute thinks they should. And the Reason Foundation is in favor of transit-oriented development.
Much of AEI’s argument has to do with how being able to roam around the neighborhood improves their mental health and takes pressure off parents to drive their kids everywhere. But not everyone on the right accepts Tim Carney’s thesis (Longer Forms). Carney’s critics on the right should talk to school crossing guards before claiming that car-centric streets don’t influence where kids can walk (The Guardian).
In related news, Brandon Donnelly wrote about how more young families that can afford to do so are staying in cities rather than moving to the suburbs. And Angie Schmitt interviewed Lenore Skenazy, the author of “Free Range Kids.” (Love of Place)
Uber is offering transit agencies $50,000 grants to test on-demand transit service. (Cities Today)
CalTrans is looking into “bullet buses” that would travel 140 miles per hour on dedicated freeway lanes between Los Angeles and San Francisco. (Hoodline)
L.A. Times columnist Steve Lopez returned to one of his favorite topics: how screwed up the city’s sidewalk repair program is.
Debris from one of Amtrak’s new Acela cars is the likely cause of a recent fire at Penn Station. (New York Daily News)
Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller criticized the city council for cutting $5 million from pedestrian safety. (KOB 4)
Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell defended himself against protesters who say the city is diverting funds for Vision Zero to road repaving. (News Channel 5)
Kansas City will add east-west bus routes and step up frequency during the World Cup. (Star)
Bike buses are catching on in Baltimore. (The Banner)
Amtrak’s sleeper cars are getting upgraded (Business Insider).