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The latest streets and transportation news from Streetsblog USA.

The two biggest technical problems with DC Streetcar have been friction with cars and the fact that it’s too short to be useful for many trips.

That’s technical. Politically, the two biggest problems were named Bowser and Mendelson. Although the District Department of Transportation drew up multiple plans to relieve the operational problems, either Mayor Muriel Bowser or DC Council Chair Phil Mendelson stepped in to thwart every single attempt.

It didn’t have to be that way. The streetcar’s failures are not inherent, they’re supervisory. As the streetcar winds down for its March 31 closure, let’s recount those derailments of stewardship. Check that out — and more of today’s headlines — at the links below.

  • Friday’s Headlines Are in Decline
    by Blake Aued
    May 22, 2026
    The U.S. is becoming a dying petrostate, while China leads the world in renewable energy.
  • Spirit’s Shutdown Exposes America’s Fragile Affordable Travel System
    by ren1
    May 22, 2026
    “Affordable travel is not a fallback. It is what makes broad mobility possible.”
  • A train passes over the Downtown Greenway in Greensboro, North Carolina.
    Talking Headways Podcast: Greensboro’s Downtown Greenway
    by J.K. Trotter
    May 21, 2026
    Dabney Sanders explains how Greensboro’s Downtown Greenway came together.
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