The Overhead Wire

New blog - The Value of Time - theoverheadwire.com/2026/03/the-...

Help keep transit throughout the Bay alive, come gather signatures. We need 200,000 by June to get a funding measure on the ballot in time to stop the cuts. Details here
luma.com/connectbayar...
Cc @theoverheadwire.com @nextdoorsv.bsky.social @elisejoshi.bsky.social @thetransitguy.com

As we shared on Saturday, LAX is moving forward with a proposal to more than double the fees you pay for rideshare trips at the airport—and the final vote is tomorrow, March 10. We invite you to join us in person at the board meeting tomorrow morning to voice your concerns before the vote. If this proposal passes, the fee for a pickup or drop-off at the terminal curb will jump from $5 to $12 per trip, making LAX fees the most expensive in the world. This goes straight to the airports—not to drivers, and not to Uber. This hike is being rushed through with little notice and without a meaningful public process. We need your help to stop this. Please consider showing up in person at the board meeting tomorrow to share how this increase will affect you. Your presence can make a difference in keeping LA affordable for everyone. When: Tuesday, March 10 at 10:00 AM Where: Clifton A. Moore Administration Building Samuel Greenberg Board Room 107/116 at Los Angeles International Airport Can’t make it in person? You can still take action by emailing LAX officials directly through the link below before tomorrow’s meeting. Take Action

LAX Airport Fee Increase Proposal Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) is considering a significant increase in rideshare access fees. Currently, riders pay a $5 fee each way for LAX curbside pick-up/drop-off. LAX has proposed raising this fee significantly- to $12 for a pick up or drop off at the curb. By comparison, other similarly sized airports around the country collect, on average, per-trip fees of just $4.25. A steep increase would make airport rides less affordable for many passengers and could result in fewer trips for drivers. The Airport board is planning to vote on this proposal on March 10, with no input from riders or drivers. Help us advocate for affordable airport access. Add to the message below to LA lawmakers and the LA Airport board and tell them how less affordable rides would impact you.

Uber, an LA28 partner, is trying to get users to show up to an LAX board meeting this morning to protest raising the fees you pay for getting dropped off in the horseshoe from $5 to $12.

This is a good and necessary change to reduce congestion in the horseshoe and fund LAX transit improvements

Whitlock was a badass.
www.getty.edu/news/getty-l...

The left’s housing civil war is ending For a decade, progressives argued over whether greedy landlords or blocked construction caused the housing crisis. Zohran Mamdani and Nithya Raman say the answer is both.

Monday's Most Read # 1 - The left’s housing civil war is ending link.theoverheadwire.com/gaeqy @liamjdillon.com @politico.com

What Would a City Designed for Blind Commuters Look Like? Getting around New York City for visually impaired and

Monday's Most Read # 2 - What Would a City Designed for Blind Commuters Look Like? link.theoverheadwire.com/83xvh @johnsurico.bsky.social

'Stupendous Potential': Pay-Per-Mile Auto Insurance Would Cut Costs And Traffic Violence - Streetsblog New York City Lowering car insurance costs doesn't have to eviscerate crash victims's rights.

Monday's Most Read # 3 ‘Stupendous Potential’: Pay-Per-Mile Auto Insurance Would Cut Costs And Traffic Violence link.theoverheadwire.com/qywta @nyc.streetsblog.org

This. Exactly.

2- and 3-wheeled vehicles have delivered more emissions reductions than #EVs, globally.

And you get fewer children & youth killed by cars. And better cities. Win-win-win.
chargedevs.com/newswire/two...

The State Senate just approved Washington's elevator reform bill 41-6 after it was amended in the House, sending it to the Governor's desk.

The House's amendments removed language around international harmonization but it still represents a major reform for elevators in smaller buildings.

Santa Monica Council Demands Stronger Boulevard Safety Santa Monica City Council unanimously rejected a safety plan for Santa Monica Boulevard, demanding stronger pedestrian protections after 435 injury crashes in 10 years.

A super refreshing response from a city council on traffic safety - "No safety countermeasure will be eliminated because it worsens vehicular throughput." - Dan Hall link.theoverheadwire.com/vaxgn

There Have Been No Approvals for New Transit Projects in the First Year of the Current Trump Administration

For the 1st time in the 1st year of a presidential administration since at least 1993, under Trump 2, the Federal Transit Administration signed 0 new contracts for major transit projects, like subways or light rail.

The US is facing a crisis of rail transit investment: www.urban.org/urban-wire/r...

Senator mocked ‘green energy crap.’ His house runs on it. Montana Republican Tim Sheehy voted to scrap solar tax credits after installing panels and battery storage at his Bozeman home.

“Montana Republican Tim Sheehy voted to scrap solar tax credits after installing panels and battery storage at his Bozeman home.” www.politico.com/news/2026/03...

"California—and several other localities—technically have a law on the book that allows cities to set a weight limit for vehicles on its roads, which many newer, larger SUVs exceed. The laws are largely unenforced, but could that change?"

OMG they released the deposition videos where they revealed that these two DOGE bros were just feeding grants into ChatGPT and saying "tell me if this is DEI in less than 120 characters."

www.techdirt.com/2026/02/19/d...

In first, CIA acknowledges 1953 coup it backed to overthrow leader of Iran was undemocratic While other American officials have made similar remarks in the past, the acknowledgment by the CIA in a podcast about the agency’s history comes as much of its official history of the coup still rema...

I wonder what percentage of Americans knows that the CIA helped overthrow a democracy in Iran in 1953, installing a brutal dictator who tortured and murdered people. Republicans keep citing the 1979 Islamic Revolution as if that was the start of U.S.-Iran hostilities. Go back 26 years earlier.

Not to mention our lungs and brains will be better off.

I remember saying this in 2008 during the huge gas price spike.

All we got was Caltrain electrification. Which has been amazing and a major boost for ridership! Perhaps we should do more of that, especially with freight rail...

Episode 569: The Annual Prediction Show with Yonah Freemark The Talking Headways Podcast

I agree with @yonahfreemark.com: Sound Transit is likely to have the busiest light rail in the US by year-end with the opening of the Crosslake Connection to Bellevue on March 28.

@theoverheadwire.com

The Interstate Bridge Replacement team choosing the day after the Washington legislature adjourns for the year to release their new cost estimate on expanding I-5 over the Columbia River is just...too perfect.

Talking Headways Podcast: The Annual Prediction Show with Yonah Freemark — Streetsblog USA Yonah Freemark joins Talking Headways for their annual discussion of future of transit in the United States (and Mexico).

Talking Headways Podcast: The Annual Prediction Show with Yonah Freemark - usa.streetsblog.org/2026/03/05/t... via @usa.streetsblog.org, @theoverheadwire.com, and @yonahfreemark.com

The trend shift in adults per family household is so insane.

its even more insane that every important policymaker and economist thought we were slowly soaking up a glut of homes even into the 2010s.

And it’s even more insane that there are still supply-crisis skeptics today.

Whoever did this should be kicked out of office.

boston.legistar.com/LegislationD...

Talking Headways Podcast: The Annual Prediction Show with Yonah Freemark — Streetsblog USA Yonah Freemark joins Talking Headways for their annual discussion of future of transit in the United States (and Mexico).

This week on #TalkingHeadways it's our annual prediction show with @yonahfreemark.com We discuss what we got right and wrong last year, and what we think might be on the horizon for next. link.theoverheadwire.com/468dw @usa.streetsblog.org

A streetcar rail and street paving bricks are visible alongside a bus lane on asphalt street in two potholes

some good streetcar rail action in the potholes today

And now the third crane is almost deconstructed, phase 1 of Sen̓áḵw is nearing completion.

bsky.app/profile/sieg...

I posted about this on the blog yesterday. But what's interesting about this are the rural areas asking for a VMT tax - theoverheadwire.com/2026/03/tran...

Adding Up What Urban Highways Really Cost A new report maps the economic toll that downtown freeways exact on 142 US cities — and tallies up what that land could be worth if it was developed for other uses.

Wednesday's Most Read # 1 - Adding Up What Urban Highways Really Cost link.theoverheadwire.com/t84nu @benschneider.bsky.social @thedotcity.bsky.social

And here is a link to the viewable and downloadable full document: www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/uwa25...

California GOP lawmakers are incensed over a gas tax study. Rural groups say they need it For more than a month, Republican lawmakers in California have blasted a legislative proposal to study alternatives to the state’s gas tax, declaring it a dishonest ploy by Democrats to hike taxes on ...

Wednesday's Most Read # 2 - California GOP lawmakers are incensed over a gas tax study. Rural groups say they need it link.theoverheadwire.com/ucg3r @apnews.com