Today's Headlines

Wednesday’s Headlines Mosey Along

What's slower, Amtrak trains or a jaywalking tortoise?

By Blake Aued

12:01 AM EDT on July 22, 2026

Photo: Malcom K, CC

A hundred years ago, American passenger trains were the fastest in the world, and some were even faster than Amtrak is today. So what happened? Long story short, reduced federal funding and freight carriers’ greed. (Planetizen)
A new study shows that bikeshares do reduce air pollution, especially in big cities that weren’t bike friendly and had poor transit systems to begin with, because they offer an alternative to driving. (Transport Policy)
Streetsblog editor in chief Gersh Kuntzman takes on the Trump administration’s Orwellian claims about the dangers of bike lanes.
Privately, most Republican elected officials aren’t climate change deniers, but they lack a political incentive to do anything about it. (Heatmap)
A new edition of “Street Design: The Secret to Great Cities and Towns” has been released. (Common Edge)
Oklahoma City officials are proposing a penny sales tax referendum that would raise $130 million a year for transit expansion. (Voice)
Next week Detroit will hold its last public hearing on capping I-75. (Michigan Chronicle)
Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan’s proposed budget puts almost $75 million toward fixing potholes, sidewalks and stormwater drainage. (News4Jax)
Cameras mounted on Philadelphia buses and trolleys have issued more than 200,000 tickets over the past year, increasing speeds by 3 to 6 percent. (Axios)
A proposed Amtrak route connecting Cleveland, Cincinnati, Dayton and Columbus would help disabled Ohioans reach jobs and medical care. (Plain Dealer)
The Colorado Connector train would provide two round-trips between Pueblo and Fort Collins within five years if voters approve a sales tax. (Colorado Newsline)
Portland did in fact set a new Guinness World Record for largest mass e-bike rate, at 1,060, more than doubling the previous record of 405 in Seattle. (KPTV)
Police in Connecticut “arrested” a tortoise they caught jaywalking, no doubt trying to take a shortcut to beat the hare. (WTNH)