Heya friends, happy Friday!
This week before we dive in I’m sharing a fundraising page for the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition. As many of you know, I sit on the Board for the organization and the org is very near and dear to my heart. This year, you have the opportunity to join the ranks of my Favourite People Ever ™️ by donating to SF Bike. If you read this newsletter on a semi-regular basis, enjoy the perspective I share, laugh at my spelling mistakes, or care about biking more broadly, I’d really love it if you made a donation. Appreciate you considering it!
If we ever meet in real life and you’d consider buying me a coffee or a bevvie, I’m asking you to instead make a $5 donation to the bike coalition. You can (of course) donate more than that, but $5 would mean the world (and then some) to me, to the staff at SF Bike, and to the streets of San Francisco. Thank you in advance ❤️
OK, time for some news:
NHSTA wants cars to prevent drunk driving
Finally a bit of tech I can get behind. Auto safety regulators are taking the first step toward requiring devices in vehicles that prevent drunk or impaired driving. The intent is for all new vehicles in the U.S. to be equipped with alcohol monitoring systems that can stop an intoxicated person from driving.
WeRide obtains licenses in Singapore
Chinese AV company WeRide has obtained two licenses (M1 and T1) from Singapore's Land Transport Authority (LTA) to test robo-buses on public roads in areas like the One North tech cluster and the National University of Singapore. WeRide holds licenses in the US, China, and the UAE.
AV industry begs Mayor Pete for help
A group of AV lobbyists sent Mayor Peter a letter last week imploring him to support AV development or risk being outpaced by China. If you’d like to know how to scare a US federal official out of their pants, you can threaten being left in the dust by China. This comes after weeks of dismay as GM’s Cruise—one a star of the industry—has fallen from grace. The letter makes zero mention of Cruise’s history of hitting a pedestrian and dragging them post-collision.
The industry being afraid that the government might slow the pace of innovation because a pedestrian is now in critical condition is … disheartening. Reminder: it’s typically a good thing to pause and be intentional when risks present themselves. Maintaining the current pace of innovation—that endangered human life—is not normal nor necessary. Sometimes you have to go slow to go fast.
Deep dive in Bogotá’s Bus Rapid Transit
The NYTs has a deep dive on Bogotá’s bus rapid transit (love). It’s paired with a fun piece about if better buses can fix commuting. I find the second article more informative (it also includes cute, bite-sized graphics) about BRT as a whole, but the first article gives a hyper-localized view from the world’s most infamous BRT system.
How Cruise built public support for AVs
I know what you’re thinking: what kind of clickbaity headline is this Sarah??? And you’re right and I apologize. This article outlines how Cruise was able to secure ~40 letters of support in San Francisco, ahead of this past summer’s CPUC vote. They secured letters from a broad coalition of disability groups, local business associations, elected officials, and private citizens. Letters like these can help sway decision-makers, so understanding how the companies procure these letters can help inform how people who oppose AVs can leverage similar tactics to challenge them.
Cruise lays off 24% of workforce, including leadership
Ooooof. I’ve been pretty candid when it comes to my thoughts about Cruise this year (and I will say… when an organization makes the decisions Cruise has made… critique comes with the territory). There is plenty of speculation that laying off 900 employees and removing nine senior leaders lays the groundwork for a fire sale. I won’t speculate there, but I will say this: layoffs fucking suck. I’ve written about my own experiences with layoffs before, and the emotional toll that comes with them. I can only imagine how stressful this must be in the middle of the holidays; Cruise announced their layoffs on the last night of Hanukkah, and I’ll say this: anybody conducting layoffs on Christmas would be called a scourge and never forgiven. I hope the best for everybody impacted, and that a greener pastures awaits them (Amtrak is hiring across the board if anybody reading this wants to come work on trains!! Same mission with a proven product!!).
The headline of this article is: “Tesla’s response to the DMV’s false-advertising allegations: What took so long?” Which really just sums it up. The article goes to share this perfect line: “Tesla is defending itself by saying, in effect, that the DMV let the company slide for so many years, the case no longer has legal standing.” Gaslighting 101 brought to you by the world’s most popular EV manufacturer.
In related news, Tesla also recalled a cool two million vehicles in the US to fix an issue with their autopilot feature (Wired). That’s almost every vehicle they’ve sold in the US to date. The issue with the feature will be fixed via a mandatory software update. The issue with Tesla as a company will be fixed…… never?
Autonomous Vehicles: A Guide for Cities
A new white paper from Cityfi, Urbanism Next, and the University of Oregon seeks to provide cities with the tools required to manage AVs. “Autonomous Vehicles: A Guidebook for Cities was created in response to cities seeking to manage and influence autonomous vehicle (AV) pilots and deployments happening on their streets, as well as cities trying to prepare for these pilots. The Guidebook offers considerations, tools, and examples of various ways to manage effectively autonomous vehicle deployments.”
USC’s school of engineering has an interview from three students who researched autonomous vehicle safety for one of their courses. Based on their research, they are advocating for stricter autonomous vehicle safety regulations and comprehensive testing procedures. This blog / interview gives a nice recap of the current state of affairs in the industry.
Wrong Way: A novel (!) about AVs
There is a new novel about AVs that points to what we traditionally see as technological advancement is just another mechanism to obscure human labour. Here’s the book’s description (Macmillan):
”For years, Teresa has passed from one job to the next, settling into long stretches of time, struggling to build her career in any field or unstick herself from an endless cycle of labor. The dreaded move from one gig to another is starting to feel unbearable. When a recruiter connects her with a contract position at AllOver, it appears to check all her prerequisites for a “good” job. It’s a fintech corporation with progressive hiring policies and a social justice-minded mission statement. Their new service for premium members: a functional fleet of driverless cars. The future of transportation. As her new-hire orientation reveals, the distance between AllOver’s claims and its actions is wide, but the lure of financial stability and a flexible schedule is enough to keep Teresa driving forward.”
One of my favourite TV shows, Slow Horses, is back for its third season. It’s on Apple TV, and I love the wit of the show. 20/10 recommend to a friend (it’s a bit of a thriller, as a warning).
Most weeks I can over-write in bits and bobs… and this week, there isn’t much extra on my mind. I hope everybody reading this is well, surrounded by people and pets they love, and have sweet moments of joy.
That’s all from me. Have a beautiful weekend friends.
Sarah
The following blurb asking you to “pledge your support” is a hoax! I am super happy with your support, and do not need you to pledge, but alas, Substack tacks this onto the end of the newsletter. Instead of pledging your support here, please consider buying yourself a treat from your local bakery. Appreciate you!