Waymo
is
now
allowed
to
operate
its
self-driving
robotaxis
on
highways
in
parts
of
Los
Angeles
and
in
the
Bay
Area
following
a
California
regulator’s
approval
of
its
expansion
(PDF)
plans
on
Friday.
This
means
the
company’s
cars
will
now
be
allowed
to
drive
at
up
to
65mph
on
local
roads
and
highways
in
approved
areas.
In
a
statement
to
The
Washington
Post,
Waymo
spokesperson
Julia
Ilina
said
the
company’s
expansion
will
be
“careful
and
incremental,”
and
that
it
has
“no
immediate
plans”
to
extend
service
to
highways.
Last
month,
the
California
Public
Utilities
Commission
(CPUC)
put
the
company’s
expansion
on
hold
until
June
“for
further
staff
review,”
following
protests
from
several
San
Francisco
city
agencies
and
other
groups.
Concerns
about
the
safety
of
driverless
robotaxis
have
grown
after
several
high-profile
crashes,
such
as
when
a
Waymo
car
crashed
into
a
bicyclist
last
month
and
a
Cruise
vehicle
struck
and
dragged
a
pedestrian
20
feet
in
October
last
year.
Now,
CPUC
has
concluded
that
that
Waymo
has
shown
its
“attention
to
continuous
evaluation
and
improvement
of
its
technology,
safety
practices,
and
aspects
of
its
operations
involving
humans
...
that
minimize
risk
of
driverless
passenger
service
operations”
in
expanded
areas.
The
decision
gave
Waymo
permission
to
start
its
expansion
immediately.
CPUC
wrote
in
its
decision
that
it
had
denied
a
request
from
the
Los
Angeles
Department
of
Transportation
(LADOT)
for
evidentiary
hearings
on
“disputed
facts,”
because
it
hadn’t
“identified
material
disputed
facts
that
would
be
resolved
through
formal
hearings.”
The
LADOT
also
asked
that
CPUC
wait
until
a
California
law,
Senate
Bill
915
—
which
would
give
cities
more
regulatory
sway
over
robotaxis
—
is
settled,
but
CPUC
called
that
and
other
arguments
“outside
the
scope
of
staff’s
delegated
authority.”
Several
groups
writing
to
CPUC
in
support
of
the
expansion
“generally
highlighted
the
potential
safety,
accessibility,
economic,
and
environmental
benefits”
of
Waymo’s
service,
according
to
the
commission.
Some
still
had
concerns,
like
the
American
Council
of
the
Blind,
which
said
CPUC
shouldn’t
approve
Waymo’s
request
without
“beginning
the
process”
of
instituting
new
safety
and
accessibility
standards.
The
commission
refused,
calling
this
and
other
regulatory
issues
“matters
of
broader
AV
policy.”
Original author: Wes Davis
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