Monday’s Headlines

Average American car is overweight; CPUC approves AVs despite strong opposition, and AVs are not ready; More

By Melanie Curry

8:30 AM PDT on August 14, 2023

The average American car is over 1k lbs heavier than in the 1980s – gained 175 lbs in the last year (Bloomberg)
CPUC approves autonomous cars despite strong public and official opposition (The Guardian, Planetizen)
Absolutely not ready: Cruise blames too many people on cell phones for its monumental failures in a traffic jam (SF Chronicle)
Debauchery in robotaxis (SF Standard)
It’s back to work for CA legislators (Sacramento Bee)
E-bike companies fight for exclusion to right to repair laws (Electrek)
E-bus maker Proterra tried to find a buyer before bankruptcy (Axios)
Maui already had a housing shortage, and the fire in Lahaina raises fears of locals being priced out (NY Times)
Nine car-free cities in Europe (The Mayor.eu)

Find more California headlines at Streetsblog LA and Streetsblog SF

Melanie Curry

Today's Headlines

Streetsblog has migrated to a new comment system. New commenters can register directly in the comments section of any article. Returning commenters: your previous comments and display name have been preserved, but you'll need to reclaim your account by clicking "Forgot your password?" on the sign-in form, entering your email, and following the verification link to set a new password — this is required because passwords could not be carried over during the migration. For questions, contact tips@streetsblog.org.

More from Streetsblog California

Safety

Wednesday’s Headlines

More High-Speed Hijinks in the press, transit ridership is up, and the feds. don't seem as clueless as usual...

Damien Newton

April 29, 2026

Streetsblog USA |Electric Vehicles

The End of Gas Pain? Oregon Launches Nation’s First Road-User Charge

The Beaver State is moving from pilot to adoption, but the degree of public acceptance remains unclear.

Noel Popwell

April 28, 2026

Streetsblog Los Angeles |Safety

Metrolink Cut Service; Budget Pressure Could Mean More Cuts, Fare Increases

Faced with a ~$30M budget shortfall, Metrolink has extended temporary service cuts indefinitely and is "evaluating more significant service reductions and a potential fare increase that could take effect as early as October"