Cyclists Warn Uber’s Autonomous Vehicles Cut Across Bicycle Lanes

This week San Francisco Bicycle Coalition issued a warning to the public that Uber’s autonomous vehicles are “not ready” for city streets.

“I rode in one,” says Brian Wiedenmeier of the coalition. “I can tell you firsthand: Those vehicles are not yet ready for our streets.”

One major concern is that Uber cars in self-driving mode execute right-hook-style turns through bike lanes, which is one of the most common causes of collisions between cars and cyclists in cities.

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The crazy part is that, despite Wiedenmeier’s warning to Uber, the company launched its self-driving fleet in San Francisco just days later—and quickly got in trouble when one ran a red light.

“I told staff from Uber’s policy and engineering teams about the safety hazards of their autonomous vehicle technology [and] they told me they would work on it,” he says. “Then, two days later, they unleashed that technology on San Francisco’s streets.”

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