Along for the Ride #231
You better vélib I'm back
Heya friends, happy Friday!
It’s been a lovely two weeks away, but I’m exciting to be picking up the pen once again. While away I got to meet some new folks (👋 Izzy), and well as some old favourites (👋 Matt, Bridget, Rosie, Maca, Al, Mehak, Adnan, Claire). Moreover, I got to whip around Paris on Vélib, and it was an absolute highlight of the trip (more on that in bits + bobs).
Safe to say the AV industry has continued to cause a stir while away, so let’s dig into the news. Given I am covering numerous weeks in one newsletter updates, this edition is mostly bullet points to include all updates (not my personal preference, but alas). On y va!
The more you know!
Top of the list this week is the UK passing the “Automated Vehicles Act” into law, allowing AVs to operate on UK roads by 2026 (UK Gov, commentary: Quartz)
Waymo and Zoox are under investigation by NHSTA after their cars recorded erratic behaviours (CNN)
Cruise will pay the woman dragged by their AV in San Francisco between $8-12 million USD via a legal settlement (Quartz)
This articles details how cities globally are achieving vision zero (hint: infrastructure, infrastructure, infrastructure) (The Conversation)
When political will falls short, here are the second best traffic interventions to reduce fatalities (Bloomberg)
Not advocating we should settle for anything less than the necessary infrastructure needed to save lives, but an interesting article to reflect on nonetheless
Mayor Pete says AVs need to become safer than human drivers (Bloomberg)
The more you know!
Friends over at Wayve did something remarkable for 2024: received a $1 billion investment in autonomous vehicles (led by Softbank.. surprising nobody). It’s the largest fundraising round in a British company.. ever? (Commentary: The Economist, The Guardian, Wayve press release)
How VCs and the military continue to fuel autonomous vehicle startups (TechCrunch)
Cruise returns to operations in Phoenix (The Verge)
San Francisco’s latest tourist trap is autonomous vehicles (NYTs)
The Role of Neighbourhood Social and Built Environments – Including Third Places – in Older Adults’ Social Interactions (Journal of Urban Policy and Research)
How suburban backlash is threatening urban transit systems (Politico)
Are AVs about into a wall of regulatory hurdles? (FastCo)
The free ride for autonomous vehicles is officially over (The Verge)
Given the private and public sectors have poured billions into AV research and development, I’m not sure the ride was ever “free”, but you get the gist
I had a fantastic two weeks across the pond in Paris and London, surrounded by some of my favourite humans. In Paris, we biked around the whole city and my favourite day included a ride to the Eiffel Tower before bopping to La Grande Épicerie to procure goods for a picnic in Jardin du Luxembourg. The best meals we had were at Le Servan and Golden Poppy.
When I got to London, my spiritual home, I stayed with friends Bridget and Hari (thank you!), and spent the week walking four million steps between croissants, the canal, and delightful encounters with beloved friends.
I am back home in San Francisco, finding plenty of joy in my local cherry blossom tree, cupcakes at run club, and long
walksbops through golden gate park (slightly shorter when Coco accompanies me lol).Super cool article about all architect projects that never got to see the light of day (Guardian)
That’s all from me. Have a beautiful weekend friends.
Sarah
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