Today’s newsletter is presented by San Diego Theatres.
Hello, Uptown!
Over the past week, I have seen them more often.
At first I would gawk and let out a groan when I looked out my bedroom window and see one pass by. I still gawk in a way, but I’m more mystified that they are actually here.
A couple of weeks ago while I was using a cross walk, it began to turn left. I stopped immediately, albeit, in the middle of the road. But so did the blue autonomous vehicle. We had what felt like a stare down. I could imagine someone in either Arizona, Michigan or the Philippines at one of Waymo’s four remote assistance centers wondering what this woman is doing standing in the middle of the road, causing the car to stall. Realizing I do in fact have the right of way, I bolted across the street in case the robot changed it’s mind and wanted to show me a lesson.
If you haven’t caught on by now, I’m talking about the newest addition to the San Diego roadways: Waymos.
Before the company — which is a subsidiary of Larry Page’s Alphabet, also the parent of Google — landed in San Diego, it drummed up quite the conversation.
Opponents of the self-driving cars cited the potential economic impacts it could have on people who are taxi or Uber drivers. Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera took up this mantle. He got MTS to hop on board, and the transit agency passed a resolution opposing the vehicle service’s expansion into San Diego without local oversight.
On the other side of the aisle, researchers at Scripps wrote an open letter urging that the technology be supported by local lawmakers because of how it has demonstrated a “capacity to prevent death.”
Outside of what our Jennifer Vigil has reported on, there has been discourse around the vehicle’s ability to surveil the people inside — in one instance, the car snitched on a couple of teens drinking in the back seat.
While some people see this aspect as a good thing: Now, some annoying-at-best teens shooting Orbeez out of a car and drinking an adult beverage learned their lesson by spending some time in the slammer. Other folks find the cameras to be of concern, especially as people are becoming more aware of and unsettled by the increasing reach of surveillance and what these powerful companies do with the materials they have collected.
But back to what’s happening on our roads… Despite seeing them rolling around, you can’t ride in one yet. Look closely and they’re all empty. But if you thought you saw someone in the backseat, it could have been Jennifer. Waymo invited her to take a ride ahead of the official launch near the end of the summer. You can read her account here.
After you do, shoot me an email and let me know your thoughts on Waymo. Maybe I’m naïve, but I expect to have wide-eyes when one drives by for quite some time.
Tessa Balc
Uptown News newsletter host
Uptown story spotlight
Ready or not, Waymo is coming. We take an early ride as the self-driving service prepares for its San Diego launch
By Jennifer Vigil • Times of San Diego
Times of San Diego took a ride in a driverless car from Waymo, which will launch soon in a zone in San Diego that measures about 40 square miles.
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