San Francisco leaders are backing a federal bill that calls for stricter regulations over autonomous vehicles, following several incidents involving Waymo vehicles during major events in the city.
Mayor Daniel Lurie and fire department Chief David Crispen are backing a bill by Representative Kevin Mullin, who represents parts of San Francisco and San Mateo County, that would require robotaxi companies to better communicate with first responders during emergencies, such as during a power outage like the one the city experienced last December.
Mullin announced the AV Emergency Response Coordination Act at a press conference on Tuesday, joined by Lurie, Crispen, the city’s top transportation chief, Julie Kirschbaum, and San Francisco County Transportation Authority Executive Director Tilly Chang.
The bill would require companies, such as Waymo and Zoox, to establish a 24/7 hotline for public officials to contact the companies during incidents or emergencies involving the companies’ vehicles. It would also allow local officials to issue geofencing notices to robotaxi companies to avoid certain areas during emergencies or major events.
“While I very much want this technology to succeed, we need to make sure it’s being developed and deployed safely,” Mullin said. “Here at home, we’ve seen situations with driverless cars contributing to paralyzing traffic jams and dangerous situations like the widespread power outage in December and the fireworks on the Fourth of July.”
San Francisco has welcomed the AV technology, but Lurie said that there are still many needed improvements, including having better coordination with the companies during major events and unexpected disruptions, such as the power outage the city experienced last December, where Waymo vehicles stalled in parts of the city where traffic lights were not working.
At this year’s Fourth of July fireworks, Waymo vehicles blocked intersections near the Presidio following the fireworks show, adding problems to the already heavily congested area that night.
“Now we have an opportunity to turn those lessons into stronger standards, not only for San Francisco but for cities across the country, as AVs expand,” Lurie said. “This legislation will give local governments and autonomous vehicle companies a clear framework for coordinating during emergencies and unexpected disruptions.”
Mission Local reported that a statement from Waymo’s Federal Policy and Government Affairs Tiffany Moore said, “Establishing minimum guidelines would provide the entire industry and public safety community with a consistent framework, ensuring emergency responders have the resources and certainty they need whenever they encounter an autonomous vehicle on the road.”
Here in the city, District 1 Supervisor Connie Chan said in a video post on Instagram on Tuesday that she is working on drafting legislation to develop a fee structure so that the city can be reimbursed for “unnecessary emergency calls and response delays caused by their technology.” She is also pushing for a full account of how the vehicles have impacted emergencies in the city.
“We cannot let technology get in the way of saving lives,” Chan said in the video.
