San Francisco officials wrote to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), Cruise and Waymo Robotaxi Serviceciting safety concerns.
Following recent incidents where self-driving cars blocked traffic and intruded into a vibrant emergency response scene, officials say emerging driving automation technologies will improve street safety and make transportation equitable and accessible. He said he hopes to help strengthen the service, but said expanding either service was “unreasonable.” .
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration launched an investigation into Cruise last December.
The news was first reported by NBC News.
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A Waymo self-driving car drives on California Street in San Francisco, California, April 11, 2022.
((Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images))
“If the Commission approves the comprehensive authorizations for both Waymo and Cruise, these operational issues will be subject to change without imposing on the licensee the responsibility of addressing operational matters in a transparent and progressive manner in a timely manner. The scale of the challenges in San Francisco could quickly affect a large portion of all San Francisco travelers, he told Waymo. Cooperation is all the more important as the climate emergency leaves little room for policy error. We cannot allow such disparities.”
Alphabet’s Waymo and GM’s Cruise both offer driverless services in the city.
“Rather than unlimited approval, a series of limited deployments with incremental expansion offers the best path toward public confidence in driving automation and industry success in San Francisco and beyond. ’” the letter said.
Cruise vehicles in San Francisco, California, USA on Wednesday, February 2, 2022.
(Photo by David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Officials said companies should need to collect more performance data, approvals to increase fleet size should come in “limited increments,” and travel in dense downtown cores , and said that peak transit times and travel times should only be approved after businesses. They have demonstrated that they can “operate large volumes of commercial AVPS on the streets of San Francisco for at least several months without significant disruption to street operations or transportation services.”
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“Cruise has a publicly reported safety record, driving millions of miles in highly complex urban environments with zero life-threatening injuries or fatalities,” a Fox spokesperson said in a statement. “We are thrilled that the overwhelming majority of public comments, including disability community advocates, small businesses and local community groups, have encouraged us to expand Cruise’s all-electric driverless service to serve the entire city,” he told News Digital. We are proud to support the provision of
A self-driving Waymo car is reflected in a mirror as it drives down California Street in San Francisco, California, April 11, 2022.
((Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images))
“These letters are a standard part of the regulatory process, and we have long appreciated the healthy dialogue we have with city officials and government agencies in California,” a Waymo spokesperson told Fox News Digital in a statement. . “Waymo will have the opportunity to respond in its filings with the CPUC this week. Beyond that, we look forward to discussing these issues through our ongoing partnerships with public stakeholders.”
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Both Waymo and Cruise cite letters of support and positive comments.
In December, Cruise received approval to extend its deployment to 24 hours a day, pending approval from the CPUC.
