San Francisco is getting cold feet about self-driving car tests

Officials in San Francisco have called for a slower and more cautious rollout of self-driving cars, which are blocking traffic and hampering emergency services.

To Matthew Sparks

San Francisco officials have called for a halt to the widespread testing of self-driving cars across the city after a string of incidents disrupting emergency services operations.

Located in the heart of Silicon Valley, San Francisco has become a hotbed for the self-driving car industry thanks to its abundant technical talent. Waymo, owned by Google’s parent company Alphabet, and Cruise, owned by General Motors, both operate experimental robot taxi services in the city. But it wasn’t without its problems.

new scientist For example, we previously reported that Cruise’s autonomous vehicle (AV) stopped randomly, blocked traffic, and collided with police. However, details of other incidents involving self-driving cars have now come to light in a letter from city officials.

The San Francisco County Transportation Authority (SFCTA) has sent a letter to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) stating that the city’s emergency management agency administrators have seen people see such vehicles stop for no reason last year. He said he began noticing a large number of 911 calls from Blocking traffic, pointing in one direction and moving in the other, or other “jerky driving”.

These unexpected stops on busy streets ranged from minutes to hours, one of the letters said, and a cruise vehicle reportedly stopped and blocked a San Francisco Fire Department vehicle on its way to the fire. In another incident, a cruise vehicle broke into an area where firefighters were working and almost ran through a hose. It only stopped when a firefighter shattered the vehicle’s front window.

Both Cruise and Waymo currently operate small fleets in limited areas of San Francisco from 10 p.m. I’m applying for permission to operate on time.

The SFCTA has now sent separate letters to the CPUC regarding expansion plans for both Cruise and Waymo, calling for “restraint, not rapid expansion.”

“Cruise AV makes unplanned and unplanned stops in driving lanes that interfere with traffic and transportation services and intrude into active emergency response scenes,” the letter about Cruise said. “If the commission approves full approval of both Waymo and Cruise, the hazards and network impacts … could quickly affect a large portion of all San Francisco travelers.”

Neither Cruise nor Waymo responded to requests for comment. new scientistHowever, Cruise stressed in a statement that its safety record “includes driving millions of miles in highly complex urban environments with zero life-threatening injuries or fatalities.” A Waymo spokeswoman said the letter was “a standard part of the regulatory process” and the company continued to have a “sound dialogue” with city officials.