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| Transport Advisor confirms 'Bears do s*** in the woods'. http://www.taxi-driver.co.uk/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=42585 |
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| Author: | Sussex [ Mon May 25, 2026 6:04 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Transport Advisor confirms 'Bears do s*** in the woods'. |
Driverless taxis are ‘serious collision risk’, transport boss warned https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/0 ... port-boss/ Driverless taxis could cause “serious collisions” on the streets of London, a council was warned earlier this year. Waymo, a US company, is trialling driverless Jaguar I-Pace vehicles in the capital, intending to roll them out to the public in September. Although they are being tested with safety drivers on board, the futuristic white vehicles, equipped with sensors, radar, cameras and light detection, have been observed driving erratically. In April, one of the vehicles drove into a crime scene in Harlesden where police officers were responding to a double stabbing. Westminster city council was warned by its chief transport adviser on March 20 that autonomous vehicles could “behave unexpectedly” and potentially crash if their sensors failed to detect road signs covered by foliage. In a briefing document obtained by The Telegraph, he raised concerns about whether the council would be prosecuted “in the event of a serious collision” caused by a sensor failure. Waymo taxis have operated in the US since 2024 and have driven into flooded roads and stopped in the middle of busy highways because of power outages. In Arizona, a self-driving Uber being trialled with a human safety back-up driver hit and killed 49-year-old Elaine Herzberg as she pushed her bicycle across a four-lane road. The safety driver, who was streaming the television show The Voice during the journey, pleaded guilty to one count of endangerment. She avoided jail. An Uber spokesman said at the time of the crash in 2019 that the company regretted what happened and had “adopted critical program improvements to further prioritise safety”. The company reached a settlement with Herzberg’s family and suspended autonomous vehicle testing. Waymo, which is part of the Alphabet tech empire that includes Google and YouTube, said it would “continue to rigorously validate our technology before opening our London service”. Westminster is one of 19 London boroughs in which Waymo vehicles are being trialled. In March, Hugh Brennan, the council’s transport programme manager, warned about safety risks posed by driverless private-hire vehicles (PHVs) in a briefing report to Max Sullivan, the then cabinet member for streets. He claimed there was an “emerging concern” from the London boroughs and Transport for London (TfL) about the radar and Lidar sensors used by the autonomous vehicles (AVs) to detect their surroundings. “One Lidar system detects and interprets road signs and carriageway markings to steer the vehicle accordingly,” he wrote. “The concern is that if a council sign is missing, obscured by foliage or a road marking is faded or painted over, but still visible at night, this could cause an AV to behave unexpectedly.” Liability to prosecution? Mr Brennan, who has served in his role for more than two decades, questioned whether “in the event of a serious collision” the council or TfL would be “liable to prosecution or will this remain with the operator”. He wrote: “This profound concern must be addressed before AV PHVs operate on Westminster’s streets.” He also questioned how driverless taxis would “interact with cyclists ‘weaving’ in traffic queues” and whether they would “cruise empty” between fares, as has been reported in San Francisco, adding to congestion. And he raised “emerging concerns” about how they would cope with blind passengers or those with dementia “when compared to a human PHV or taxi driver’s more human attention”. Despite his concerns, Mr Brennan said autonomous vehicles were still considered “likely to be safer than human driven vehicles ... as there will be no drivers over the legal alcohol or drug limits nor distracted reading their phones”. Transport adviser's concerns about driverless cars P3, section 4.2 An emerging concern for both TfL and Borough Highway Authorities relates to the three radar and Lidar continuous detection systems on which AVs depend on to safely operate. One Lidar system detects and interprets road signs and carriageway markings to steer the vehicle accordingly. The concern is that if a Council sign is missing, obscured by foliage or a road marking is faded or painted over, but still visible at night, this could cause an AV to behave unexpectedly. P3 section 2.3 However, past Government and TfL legislation enactment of Rental E-scooters, Pedicabs, PHVs and Dockless Bikes demonstrates a pattern of underlegislation and slow enforcement. Critically, TfL’s PHV licensing system has been unable to set a maximum cap on the number of PHVs operating in London thus allowing vehicles to flood already congested areas, like the West End. P3 Section 4.1 Significant legal questions remain around Westminster’s responsibilities as Highway Authority in the event of incidents involving permitted AVs The emergence of his report follows several incidents of erratic Waymo vehicles on the streets of London. The self-driving cars were initially introduced to the capital’s roads last autumn under the control of safety drivers, but some are now fully controlled by AI, with a human sitting in the driver’s seat in case of an emergency. The all-electric fleet has been roaming London, mapping its streets and becoming accustomed to challenges such as roundabouts and zebra crossings. Last month, one of the cars was filmed crashing through a “do not cross” police tape in Harlesden before coming to a halt beside a police van. The car had apparently failed to register the police cordon, flashing lights or sirens. Waymo insisted the taxi had been under human control at the time of the incident and the driver was suspended pending an investigation. In the video posted on social media, two police officers appear to speak to a person sitting in the car through the left-hand window. No damage was caused at the crime scene, and the car was later seen driving away. After the incident, the Brent Green Party launched a petition urging Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, to pause the Waymo trial and implement a full safety audit. Amandine Alexandre, a Green councillor in the borough, wrote in the petition that the vehicles were operating without “proven safety protocols for complex urban environments”. “If a driver of a regular vehicle had committed this act, they would likely be under investigation and could face criminal prosecution,” Ms Alexandre added. “We cannot allow a ‘two-tier’ justice system where corporate AI is exempt from the laws that govern Londoners.” In another incident, a Waymo car found itself repeatedly becoming stuck in a dead-end road in Shoreditch. The vehicle entered the narrow road on several nights earlier this month before having to noisily reverse, waking residents. Waymo has since apologised. In Battersea earlier this month, one of the vehicles skipped a red light to escape a man who was attacking it with a rock. Waymo said the car had been manually driven away from the scene. Other footage appears to show Waymos driving the wrong way down roads and stopping in the wrong place for red lights. Waymo said it had made its driving-operations partner aware of these events so that they could take any corrective action. The company plans to launch rides to the public as soon as September, insisting that prices will be “competitive”. The plans are seen as the latest challenge to London’s highly regulated black cab industry, which has strict barriers to entry, including requiring drivers to memorise the capital’s streets. There are also concerns that driverless cars are vulnerable to threats such as cyber attacks. ‘Fewer injuries than human-controlled cars’ In response to the concerns about its cars in London, Waymo, which was recently valued at $126bn (£92bn), said its driving data from the US showed its cars were involved in significantly fewer crashes that cause serious or fatal injuries compared with human drivers. The company said it was incorporating several strategies to reduce cars driving around empty between fares; that it had created features to protect cyclists; and that it has the support of the Royal National Institute of Blind People. A spokesman said: “Waymo is committed to working with officials around London to provide a safe, convenient, and reliable ride-hailing service that integrates well with the city’s existing transport network. “The data from communities where we operate shows how our service can make roads safer, particularly for walking and cycling. We will continue to rigorously validate our technology before opening our London service.” Westminster city council refused to comment. The Tories won back control of the council earlier this month, and a spokesman said it would take time for the incoming administration to establish policy positions. A source said the council had been working closely with TfL since the introduction of the scheme and the safety of pedestrians and road users remained its top priority. |
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