Wednesday’s Headlines Aren’t on Autopilot
Elon Musk is in trouble again. Plus, the car-selling business is a racket, people should keep working from home and more headlines.
By
Blake Aued
12:00 AM EST on December 8, 2021
- Elon Musk pushed Tesla’s so-called Autopilot system, currently under federal investigation and the subject of several wrongful death lawsuits, over the objections of engineers who said it doesn’t work, and he misled Tesla owners about its capabilities. (New York Times)
- Many states allow dealerships to charge exorbitant interest rates on car loans, which the buyers often don’t even notice, leading to enormous debt on relatively modest used vehicle purchases. (Consumer Reports)
- People who’ve been able to work from home during the pandemic should keep telecommuting. There’s no reason to make them drive to work again. (Transfers)
- Traffic is back to its infamous pre-pandemic levels in Los Angeles, and UCLA researchers believe congestion pricing would benefit everyone.
- San Diego’s new La Jolla trolley line won’t necessarily improve congestion for existing drivers, but it will help absorb traffic from hundreds of new developments without putting more cars on the road. (Union-Tribune)
- Federal officials are in Houston this week to investigate complaints that a freeway widening project violates civil rights laws. (Associated Press)
- Drivers turning left are responsible for 40 percent of San Francisco traffic deaths, but design changes can fix that. (Fast Company)
- Miami is reinstating e-scooters after a temporary ban. (Government Technology)
- Seattle transit is unsafe for deaf and blind riders. (Crosscut)
- Is the Minnesota DOT intentionally throwing up roadblocks to rethinking I-94? It feels that way. (streets.mn)
- Philadelphia is working on new technology allowing delivery drives to reserve loading zones ahead of time rather than blocking lanes. (WHYY)
- A Phoenix suburb is launching an on-demand transit service. (Arizona Republic)
- Virginia’s Hampton Roads Transit is installing 620 new bus shelters. (Daily Press)
- Bristol is considering a tax on workplace parking to improve air quality and fund public transportation. (Centre for Cities)
- Glasgow could start charging for parking permits based on vehicles’ emissions. (Eltis)
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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