Thursday’s Headlines Are Trouble for Tesla
Autonomous vehicles just can't seem to behave themselves.
By
Blake Aued
12:01 AM EDT on October 15, 2026
- Tesla has stopped referring to its “Full Self-Driving” feature as “self-driving” in response to European regulators who pointed out that a human is still required to be behind the wheel and alert (Bloomberg). Back in the States, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is looking into reports of Tesla robotaxis speeding through school zones (The Verge). That’s in addition to the NHTSA’s own investigation into Tesla’s self-driving mode, as well as the Cybercab’s lack of features like pedals, mirrors and a steering wheel, and Waymo traffic infractions.
- A lack of safe infrastructure is the main reason people cite for not biking more. (American Society of Civil Engineers)
- New York City’s congestion pricing policy reduced fine particulate air pollution in Lower Manhattan by 13 percent, according to a Columbia University study.
- A Twin Cities carshare is the latest victim of the Trump administration’s belief that everyone should own and drive their own personal vehicle. (MinnPost)
- The Seattle suburb of Everett is considering folding its bus system into Sound Transit. (KUOW)
- Phoenix is on track with its 2050 transit expansion and transportation safety plan. (KJZZ)
- The Texas DOT is adding lanes to I-10 between Houston and San Antonio. (Express-News; paywall)
- Los Angeles is exploring ways to create more shade to keep people comfortable in extreme heat. (Governing)
- Bay Area Rapid Transit ridership is up by double digits this year with a referendum looming on regional transit funding. (ABC 7)
- The St. Louis MetroLink completed its first rail expansion in 20 years. (Metro)
- Grand Rapids won a $6 million state grant to expand bus service during major downtown events. (MLive)
- Jacksonville is ending an expensive and ultimately unsuccessful autonomous shuttle program and getting back to basics to create a more useful transit system. (Streetsblog USA)
- St. Augustine partnered with a local bike rental company on a new bikeshare program. (Record)
- One of the few bike commuters in Honolulu has a plan to get more people pedaling. (Civil Beat)
- The Washington Post highlights six Amtrak routes where you can watch the leaves change color.
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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