Driverless Taxis are Causing More 'Disruptions', San Francisco Officials Complain
After a severe rainstorm, two Cruise robotaxis drove past several downed trees and power lines, and then through caution tape, reports the San Francisco Chronicle. And then one of the Cruise vehicles caught on a low-hanging power wire for the city's bus system, "dragging it upward the rest of the block." The article notes that the transit agency "had already de-energized the lines by the time the Cruise taxi hit them." But the cars only stopped "after driving through another set of caution tape and sandwich boards."Cruise personnel who retrieved the entangled car had to manually back it up a half block "to release the tension on the wire," according to a San Francisco Fire Department report. No one was inside the cars at the time, and no one was hurt... But for city officials who oppose the rapid expansion of driverless taxi companies Cruise and Waymo, the episode reflects a recent and troubling trend. As driverless taxis ramp up operations in San Francisco, their disruption and close calls have increased in frequency and severity as well, officials say. "It really, really concerns me that something is going to go horribly wrong," Fire Chief Jeanine Nicholson said. Cruise and Waymo say city officials have mischaracterized their safety track records. Their driverless taxis, the companies say, have lower collision rates than human drivers and public transit. Their self-driving cars, they argue, help improve traffic safety in San Francisco because their cars are programmed to follow posted speed limits. The Fire Department has tallied 44 incidents so far this year in which robotaxis entered active fire scenes, ran over fire hoses or blocked fire trucks from responding to emergency calls. That count is double the figure from last year's informal count, which Nicholson said does not include all incidents. Meanwhile the city's transit agency tallied 96 incidents just in March "where driverless cars disrupt traffic, transit and emergency responders," according to the article - and then another 91 in April. But the issue is drawing more attention now because next month California's state regulatory agency and DMV "will vote on whether to allow Cruise and Waymo to charge for rides at all hours with no restrictions."
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