It turns out that SUVs are banned in much of California
I discovered this secret ban after noticing the signs at both ends of my narrow Los Angeles-area street (a favorite cut-through route for drivers hoping to avoid tie-ups on bigger roads). The signs clearly prohibit vehicles over 6,000 pounds.
Most SUVs are in fact over 6,000 pounds. I don’t normally respect anti-SUV arguments, but I think this is in fact quite a good one. The article points out that SUV manufacturers and owners take full advantage of the benefits of being a heavy vehicle, so I agree that it’s completely reasonable that they should bear the burdens as well.