Monday’s Headlines Don’t Sideline Sidewalks
Sidewalks are not just for walking; they're places where we meet neighbors and even conduct business.
By
Blake Aued
12:01 AM EDT on June 29, 2026
- Sidewalks are an important and underrated third space, but cities often neglect them, according to Michael Pollack, author of “Sidewalk Nation: The Life and Law of America’s Most Overlooked Resource.” (Next Big Idea Club)
- Congress should include funding for EV charging and electrifying trucks and trains in the Build America 250 transportation bill, and nix a fee on EV owners, says the environmental nonprofit Earth Justice.
- Uber is beefing up its background checks after a New York Times investigation found that the company allowed people with violent felonies and sex crimes on their records to drive.
- California Gov. Gavin Newsom approved an agreement between Uber and trial lawyers, avoiding an Uber-backed ballot measure limiting damages from crashes. (Politico)
- Newsom also signed a bill to speed up transit projects in response to the Trump administration cutting funding for transit in its proposed 2027 budget. (Fox 40)
- Bay Area voters will decide in November whether to keep local transit agencies afloat. (CBS News)
- Alabama’s lack of transit funding is contributing to the state’s workforce shortage. Investing just $25 million could unlock $100 million in federal funds, create 2,500 jobs, and provide carless workers in cities and rural areas with access to 80,000 vacant positions. (Alabama Political Reporter)
- The Utah Transit Authority has opened a new bus rapid transit line in Salt Lake City and started work on a streetcar extension. (Smart Cities Dive)
- Wisconsin is seeking a federal grant to expand Amtrak’s Chicago-to-Milwaukee line to Madison. (WISN)
- Chattanooga cyclists are pushing back against a Tennessee DOT plan to remove Main Street bike lanes to make room for wider car lanes. (News Channel 9)
- A St. Louis regional council approved the final route for the BRT Green Line. (KWMU)
- Oklahoma City residents filed a lawsuit to stop a new expressway named after country singer Toby Keith. (The Oklahoman; paywall)
- During a visit to Nashville, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy praised Elon Musk’s nonsensical plans to bore a tunnel to carry Teslas between downtown and the airport. (Tennessean; paywall)
- Cars in Europe have been getting bigger for 25 years, according to a new study, and it could lead to 400 additional traffic deaths per year by 2040, not including all the extra pollution from burning more fuel. (The Guardian)
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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