Autonomous vehicle operators like Alphabet Inc.-backed (NASDAQ:GOOGL) (NASDAQ:GOOG) Waymo were slammed by San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie following multiple incidents and disruptions involving Robotaxis in the city.
Daniel Lurie Demands Framework For AVs
According to a report by the SF Chronicle on Thursday, Lurie decried a traffic jam during San Francisco’s Fourth of July fireworks show when More than 100,000 people were present in the city’s northern waterfront, which led to gridlock as dozens of driverless vehicles stalled in travel lanes and parking areas, the report said.
Waymo, Tesla and Zoox did not immediately respond to Benzinga’s request for comment.
The congestion caused some Waymo robotaxis to run out of battery power while idling, blocking municipal shuttle buses and hindering emergency vehicle routes, the report added.
The incident marks another operational challenge for the autonomous driving leader, which recently recalled thousands of robotaxis over a software issue and had also suspended its services in the city following an outage at a Pacific Gas & Electric Co. Common Stock (NYSE:PCG) substation late last year.
Lurie Demands Stricter Framework
Lurie wrote a letter to the California Secretary of Transportation, saying that “California’s current regulatory framework does not adequately address how autonomous vehicles operate during major incidents.” The mayor also urged state officials to implement stricter safety requirements.
“California’s challenge now is not just whether autonomous vehicles can operate safely under normal conditions, but also whether they can perform reliably during extraordinary ones.”
The mayor’s proposed framework seeks to grant local authorities more control, including the ability to mandate that companies move immobilized vehicles out of active lanes quickly and share real-time fleet data during major public events.
NHTSA Probes AVs
The news comes as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) warned that it had received reports of an increasing number of incidents involving autonomous vehicles blocking first responders and law enforcement operations during incidents, demanding that companies issue a fix by the end of the month.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by a Benzinga editor.
Check out more of Benzinga’s Future Of Mobility coverage by following this link.
Photo courtesy: Around the World Photos / Shutterstock.com
Login to comment