The streets of South Bay are on track to become the latest testing ground for Waymo's self-driving robotaxis. On the heels of state authorization, the autonomous vehicle giant plans to extend its no-steering-wheel reach into Sunnyvale, per an announcement slated to shake up local landscapes and legislative chambers. According to KRON4, Waymo's expansion into the Peninsula—starting with patches of San Mateo County—has prompted a state senate bill to give local bureaucrats a better grip on these driverless endeavors.
Indeed, with the looming reality of unmanned cars coursing down communal pathways, Sen. Dave Cortese is steering Senate Bill 915 through legislative lanes to afford cities and counties more oversight after state approval is clinched. The bill, which sailed through a 10-6 vote at a Senate Transportation Committee meeting on April 24, as KRON4 reports, is now parked at the state’s Senate Appropriations Committee's doorstep, awaiting a hearing on May 6. Cortese has articulated a need for local ears on the ground, asserting that local governments, unlike the state, are agile enough to adapt to the rapid-fire changes of Silicon Valley tech.
As for the robotaxi rollout, The San Francisco Chronicle notes that Waymo will soon test fully driverless vehicles across seven cities north of San Mateo, though initially, this level of autonomy will only be accessible to Waymo's personnel. There's a gradual approach to this expansion, sharing similarities with Waymo's methodical foray into San Francisco; the boundary-pushing service was first rolled out to employees and featured a human behind the wheel just in case, reinforcing the incremental, safety-first philosophy of the company.
On the ground, the expansion hasn't occurred without outreach. Waymo spokesperson Sandy Karp explained that community engagement forms a significant spoke in the wheel of their growth strategy. “Part of making a meaningful service is understanding what are the community’s needs, and how can we help address them through our autonomous vehicles," Karp told KRON4. Residents, seemingly on the brink of coexisting with a future once reserved for science fiction, are given channels to voice concerns and curiosities—a nod to the new tech's capacity to both awe and unsettle.
Amid these advancements and debates, local officials aren't just spectators. Santa Clara County's Board of Supervisors has already jumped on Cortese’s bill. With emergency services and public safety in the balance, Supervisor Otto Lee posits that local governments must converse concerning these autonomous vessels on their streets. "We need to be involved in the process to save lives and keep pedestrians, drivers and riders safe," Lee opined to KRON4.
