ConeSF: A Campaign to Rein In Robotaxis

https://www.safestreetrebel.com/conesf/

October 24, 2023: Safe Street Rebel Statement Regarding DMV Order for Cruise to Stop Operations

This decision is long overdue. The DMV stopped operation of Cruise robotaxis in California because they were determined to be “an unreasonable risk to the public” and because Cruise "misrepresented ... information related to safety." This is a clear victory for direct action and the power of people getting in the street. Our shenanigans made this an international story and forced a spotlight on the many issues with AVs. However, Waymo is still out there, as are all human-driven cars that also put pedestrians and bikers at risk and get in the way of buses and emergency vehicles. We also anticipate that these profit-driven tech companies will try and skirt or change regulations to their benefit at the detriment of public safety. This is a good and necessary step forward, but the job's not done. Until then, the cones will continue.

Cruise and Waymo robotaxis are a disaster for San Francisco and the larger fight against car dominance. They are regulated by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) and the DMV. Safe Street Rebel first made headlines about these companies' broken promises and vulnerabilities with Week of Cone

Problems with AVs

• Our Demands: The CPUC must roll back previous authorizations while the impacts of AVs on vehicle miles traveled (VMT), climate change, pollution, and public safety are studied by an independent government body, and demand that AV companies share unredacted incident data with the public.
• Accountability: Robotaxis are effectively above the law. Their fleets cannot be cited for traffic violations. It is essential that this serious loophole be fixed before they be allowed to expand operations. Furthermore, as they refuse to share incident data, the public, as well as city agencies, must rely on social media posts to determine the extent of the problems they cause. A robust and independent reporting system must be put in place.
• Transit & Traffic: Robotaxis add more VMT to San Francisco during a climate and traffic violence crisis. If we allow AVs to become as pervasive as their proponents want them to be, our cities will only be forced further into car dependency because more people will just want to use a car more often since they don't have to control the car themselves. AVs are going to do to our cities (and driving experiences) what urban freeways and road expansions did: while their proponents claimed that they would result in transformative changes to our transportation system, we now recognize that these were just overhyped marketing claims from entrepreneurs to sell more cars. Addressing the problems that come with car dependency means changing our cities and neighborhoods to function with fewer of them, driverless or not.
• Labor: Moving humans from behind the wheel of a car to even more invisible positions in call centers & support cars makes them even easier to exploit and quashes unionization efforts. A just transition away from cars and car dominance means taking care of workers who are most affected by it, not just relegating them to more exploitable roles. We're proud to stand with the San Francisco Taxi Workers Alliance in this struggle to reign in robotaxis. Read their statement here.
• Surveillance: AV companies partner with police and serve as tools of mass surveillance. They constantly capture audio and video without our consent. This unprecedented invasion of the public's privacy will likely have far-reaching effects on the rights of the general public. For instance, recently the Sacramento police department has forwarded surveillance data to states which could prosecute those seeking an abortion. A city-wide, moving network observing and analyzing everything that happens outdoors is something out of a dystopian movie, not a democratic society.
• Accessibility: Robotaxi companies have made big promises about accessibility, but their actions show their true values. Their cars are not wheelchair accessible and do not pull up to the curb. Profit-driven robotaxi companies see accessibility as an afterthought. Without enforcement, their promises for the future will likely never materialize. Paratransit and transit are accountable to the public, but Cruise and Waymo are only accountable to shareholders.