Robotaxi photo courtesy Waymo
By Suzanne Potter Reporter/Producer, California News Service, a bureau of Public News Service.
A bill to grant local cities the ability to regulate autonomous vehicles is getting much more attention now. This happened after the California Public Utilities Commission decided to allow robotaxis on Los Angeles and San Francisco freeways earlier this month.
The commission granted Waymo’s driverless taxi service permission to travel up to 65 miles per hour.
CA SB 915
Chris Griswold, president of Teamsters Joint Council 42, which represents truck drivers, says he supports Senate Bill 915 because he is concerned about the safety record of autonomous vehicles.
“These vehicles are just stopping for no reason,” Griswold pointed out. “We’ve had emergency vehicles blocked. You had animals run over, you had a lady drug down the street. We can’t trust these companies to just be out on the streets and run wild. We have to have our community leaders regulating these vehicles.”
In October, the California Department of Motor Vehicles revoked the operating permit of the company Cruise—a self-driving car firm backed by General Motors. The firm lost its permit following an investigation into an accident involving a pedestrian who was dragged 20 feet by a Cruise autotaxi.
Waymo is backed by Google, which said in a statement that the company has “no immediate plans” to put its driverless vehicles on the highways and will take a “careful and incremental approach to expansion.”
Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn gives thumbs up to SB 915
In a statement, Janice Hahn, a Los Angeles County supervisor, said Angelenos should not be Big Tech’s guinea pigs and declared support for the bill to allow local control.
Sen. Dave Cortese, D-San Jose, the bill’s author, said it would allow cities and counties to regulate autonomous vehicles in the same way they currently set the rules for traditional taxis, but he is not calling for a ban.
“The bill will not allow the ban of AVs or robotaxis,” Cortese explained. “We will ensure every step of the way that the bill embraces the innovation but at the same time make sure that we’re in a position to make it as safe as possible.”
The bill is currently awaiting consideration in the State Senate committees on local government and transportation.
