Today's Headlines

Friday’s Headlines Have It Made in the Shade

Parking lots make cities hotter, and many are taking steps to cool them down.

By Blake Aued

12:01 AM EDT on May 29, 2026

Friday’s Headlines Have It Made in the Shade

All that black asphalt is sucking up the sun's heat.

Cities are using porous pavement, light-colored paint, and native plantings and solar panels for shade to cool down parking lots and reduce the urban heat island effect. (Associated Press)
Suspending gas taxes hurts transportation funding a lot more than it helps drivers (NPR). Gas taxes are already inadequate, and the State Smart Transportation Initiative recommends fees based on mileage and vehicle weight.
The Federal Transit Administration is releasing $166 million to replace aging train cars. (Metro)
The Trump administration is loosening regulations on refrigerator trucks, which will result in millions of tons of harmful chemicals leaking into the environment. (Carbon Upfront)
Elaborate requirements for public comment and a fear of lawsuits are paralyzing bureaucracies and making simple street safety fixes all but impossible, writes Stephanie Nakhleh. (We Can Have Nice Things)
Car-centric cities in the Midwest and Rust Belt are redesigning their public spaces to be more people-friendly. (Common Edge)
Salt Lake City recently completed new protected bike lanes on the South Viaduct, offering a safe route to bike and walk over train tracks and freeway approaches. (Salt Lake Tribune)
About two out of every five pedestrians killed in Austin is a person experiencing homelessness. (KVUE)
Crashes in the Columbus, Ohio area are down from last year, but there have still been 8,000 so far in 2026. (WOSU)
Houston is fixing Midtown sidewalks as part of a “walkable place” pilot project. (Chron)
Pittsburgh’s POGOH bikeshare is expanding outside the city limits. (Axios)
Portland transit agency TriMet is lawing off hundreds of employees and cutting back bus service. (Tribune)
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signed a bill reorganizing the Regional Transportation District board, which oversees Denver transit. (Newsline)
Maryland passed a law removing parking minimums near transit stops and requiring cities to zone those areas for mixed use to encourage more transit-oriented development. (National Center for Smart Growth)
Iranian hackers were likely responsible for a March breach at the Los Angeles Metro. (Tech Crunch)
A California city is using robots to assess sidewalk conditions. (KSBW)
Washington, D.C. is auctioning off several unused streetcars. (DC News Now)