Heya friends, happy Friday!
Coco and I are writing to you once again from Caltrain; we are on our way to Palo Alto to celebrate our friend Jaffe’s birthday (HBD!!!) and compiling this week’s news while on ze move. There was a slew of activity this week from many different corners of the world, so I hope you find this week’s edition interesting in all the best ways.
LA cancels the 710 highway expansion
Filed under: we love. After deciding to not expand the 710 highway, LA Metro has a cool $743 million to spend on active transportation, public transit, complete streets, safety policies, and more. Here are some articles about why widening highways doesn’t improve traffic congestion for the long term, some visuals about highway widening are harrowing, and here’s an academic paper about the short-term gains and long-term losses.
Can the AV industry make people less fearful of AVs?
The Autonomous Vehicle Industry Association (AVIA), a lobbying group that represents all the major AV players in the US (Cruise, Waymo, Zoox, Motional, etc.) is working to regain the public’s trust after the dumpster-fire year that was 2023. This week they released “TRUST Principles,” which is how they plan to combat negative headlines and spiraling poll numbers. “The group is calling for a number of changes to the way AV operators interact with the public, including more community engagement and public education efforts as well as the creation of working groups to address some of the main concerns.”
But what if your concern is that we don’t invest enough in public transit? That we aren’t changing local zoning to increase mixed-used developments? That there’s not enough community engagement in the world to make up for lying about dragging a woman’s body through the street? What if your concern is that we’re hyper-focused on band-aid solutions vs. infrastructure projects that would tangibly improve the quality of life for all road users?
British Columbia bans Level 3-5 AVs
Remember last week when I said it was interesting that Wayve set up a research lab in Vancouver…. well this is why. The provincial government updated the Motor Vehicle Act and it now prohibits a person from driving, or permitting the driving of, a Level 3, 4 or 5 automated vehicle. This means that AVs cannot be driven on public roads in B.C., nor can highly automated features be used.
The University of Surrey has introduced a new research programme called “Methods for Assurance of Self-Driving Vehicles” aka Massdrive. The aim is to develop robust methods of approving and certifying AVs as they become available.
US Democrats urge AV crackdowns
Two Senate Democrats are calling for increased scrutiny of autonomous vehicles and advanced driver-assist systems. They argue that “the unimpeded flow of highly automated vehicles on public roads in recent years risks exacerbating the traffic safety crisis in the US.” The main area of concern is drivers becoming overly confident and distracted when using these systems, and the risks that come with distracted driving. Just this week another fatal crash occurred when a driver using Ford’s Blue Cruise hit a parked car while in San Antonio, TX (The Guardian).
What happens when a highway dies?
A fascinating read about Rochester, NY’s Inner Loop project. The city is developing six acres of land created by the removal of a multi-lane expressway. The article discusses the process (including getting buy-in from major stakeholders and community groups), as well as the economic impact of tearing down the highway. “The economic payoff of Inner Loop East has been considerable..: More than $200 million in new investment has been generated since the expressway was filled in.”
Six Waymo vehicles block highway on-ramp in San Francisco
On Tuesday evening, six Waymo cars were Confused™️ after they encountered a road closure complete with traffic cones (AV enemy number one). The cars were on their way back to a depot, and the alternative route put them on a highway on-ramp. While Waymo has approval to drive on the city’s highways, Waymo hasn’t given the cars the green light yet. The cars attempted to pull over, but blocked the on-ramp in the process. Drivers blocked by their convoy had to get out of their cars, move cones, and attempt to pass. Waymo sent roadside assistance to them and noted that the whole event was resolved in under 30 minutes. While it’s great the issue was resolved, 30 minutes can mean the difference between life and death if those cars blocked emergency services.
Waymo launches street testing in Atlanta
More on the Waymo news front.. Over the next few months, Waymo will have a handful of cars driven manually by humans to gather mapping data and get familiar with Atlanta’s street network. Georgia has almost no regulations for the operation of AVs (Waymo could legally launch a fully autonomous system today without a safety driver…….). It will be interesting to see if this development catalyzes the local or state government to develop regulations (or if they will maintain a laissez-faire approach).
Hyundai to test AVs in Incheon
Also on the testing front: Hyundai’s Mobis group will start conducting test rides of Level 4 autonomous vehicles in Incheon, South Korea this month. Tests are part of the business’s plans to accelerate the commercialization of AVs.
Tesla’s tough spot, and Musk’s really bad look
I try not to gloat about tech layoffs, even when the company isn’t one I’m super keen of. Tesla announced they are laying off 10% of their global workforce after they missed their Q1 sales target. Three days later, Musk is asking shareholders to approve his compensation package—worth $56 billion dollars. This is the largest-ever pay package awarded in corporate history. In January a Delaware court nullified it for being unfair to shareholders and arguing that Musk obtained it through “sham board negotiations”. Their exact wording was that Tesla’s Board of Directors behaved like “supine servants of an overweening master”. Hard agree.
Meanwhile, Tesla owners keep complaining their cars are driving into curbs (Jalopnik).
China’s AV industry is booming, but that doesn’t mean it’s making money
It’s not a secret that funding for the research and development of AVs is a hefty load to carry. Companies have invested billions of dollars into development, but with the long profit lead times found across the transportation sector, it’s an open question if tech investors will be patient enough to see their returns come to fruition. This piece focuses on China, where companies like Baidu have promised their Apollo Go service in 100 cities by the end of this decade. So far their business can operate in select service areas in four major Chinese cities.
Tradeoffs between parking and place-making
“The space claims necessary for ensuring the liveability of public spaces often clash with on-street parking demand for private vehicles. Balancing these needs in a fair discussion has proven difficult. Demand for parking is expressed in clear-cut numbers, while liveability is a more emergent and qualitative concept. This paper seeks to (1) define the physical values of liveability; (2) translate them into generic space claims; (3) confront these claims with the demand for parking places in existing urban neighbourhoods; and (4) explore how this information could inform public debate and policy.”
“Superblocks are traffic-calmed neighborhoods that contribute to climate change mitigation and improve living and health conditions of inhabitants without requiring extensive reconstructions. This article investigates experiments with superblocks in Vienna (Austria) from initial discussion to the first experimental implementation.. The modeling results suggest that reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and public health benefits are 2–3 times higher when superblocks are implemented in more deprived compared to more affluent urban areas.”
Bay Area Event! There is a “Women in Automotive Technology” meet-up next week in the Bay Area where the topic is “Personal Vehicles vs Other Forms of Transportation, exploring the Love Affair with Driving and the Visions of the Mixed Mobility Future” as part of their difficult conversations series. I’m not one to typically endorse an event run by an automotive company (😅), but seeing the willingness to approach this topic is encouraging. You can register here.
Happy “new Taylor Swift album day” to all who celebrate. Coco and I are going to be listening to the new album for many weeks while walking through Golden Gate Park on our morning
walksbops.I recently watched Argyle on Apple TV and it was one of the stranger 2h20m of my life. I do not know how they fit so many plot lines in one single movie (they didn’t do it well, but they did do it). Wouldn’t necessarily recommend.
That’s all from me. Have a beautiful weekend friends.
Sarah
If you’d like to support my work and this newsletter, please consider becoming a member of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition or making a donation.