New York City approved a pilot program allowing eight Waymo self-driving cars to operate on busy streets in Manhattan south of 112th Street and in parts of Brooklyn until late September, with a safety specialist behind each wheel. The deployment covers neighborhoods including Brooklyn Heights, Downtown Brooklyn and DUMBO. The vehicles will follow strict AV safety rules intended to prioritize street safety while advancing transportation technology. Some transportation workers and the Transport Workers Union raised objections, citing risks to street safety, potential obstruction of emergency vehicles, and concerns about future job losses linked to automation.
The city will unleash the cars south of 112th Street in Manhattan in a program that a Waymo rep said Friday was already up and running. In Brooklyn, the driverless cars will roll out north of Atlantic Avenue and west of Carlton Street in neighborhoods such as Brooklyn Heights, Downtown Brooklyn and DUMBO. "We're a tech-friendly administration and we're always looking for innovative ways to safely move our city forward," Mayor Adams said in a press release.
"We know this testing is only the first step in moving our city further into the 21st century. As we continue to implement responsible innovation, we will always prioritize street safety." The driverless cars will be subjected to "the nation's strictest AV safety rules," City Hall said. "These requirements will help ensure that the development of this technology is focused, first and foremost, on the safety of everyone who shares our busy city streets," said DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez.
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