I traveled to Dallas to help put this story together.
As I told the reporters, โAt some point you have to make a choice of whether it's more important to save lives, or to facilitate fast car traffic.โ
The District of Columbia already has weight-based car fees, requiring owners of the biggest cars and trucks (6,000 lbs+) to pay hundreds of $$ per year.
That's a much stronger policy than what Colorado is proposing.
Despite myriad problems, Waymo/Cruise are asking the five members of the California Public Utilities Commission (one of whom is ex-Cruise) to let them operate unlimited robotaxis 24/7, citywide.
San Francisco public safety and transportation officials are adamantly opposed, as are grassroots activists who are freezing robotaxis with taxi cones.
We should recall what happened a century ago, when cars arrived en masse.
US streets were redesigned for vehicle speed. Pedestrian deaths skyrocketed, sidewalks were ripped up, jaywalking was invented, and transit service collapsed.
Iโve spent much of this year examining car bloat, the process through which smaller vehicles are being replaced by increasingly massive SUVs and trucks.
What Iโve learned: Huge cars are terrible for society, often in ways that are hidden.
Some basic facts:
โ >80% of US car sales are now trucks/SUVs.
โ Models keep expanding. For example, the F-150 is now ~800 lbs heavier and 7 inches taller than in 1991.
โ EVs can make the problem worse due to huge batteries.
Big, heavy cars can be sold for more $. Thatโs why Stellantis CEO Sergio Marchionne made a famous pivot away from sedans in 2016, a move other carmakers followed.
Not necessarily. US automakers offer no alternative, and car bloat pushes buyers to upsize โ if only to avoid being at a disadvantage on the road b/c others have big cars.
Summary: Car bloat is terrible โ for road safety, for the planet, for equity, and for road maintenance.
But bigger cars are often more profitable, so automakers like making them.
The only way out: Government action. Examples:
๐น Tax vehicles by weight.
๐น Test vehicles for pedestrian and cyclist safety (still doesnโt happen in the US).
๐น Require a CDL for the most gigantic vehicles.
Left alone, this problem will only worsen. Governments must step up.