San Francisco demands federal Waymo crackdown after July 4 traffic meltdown stranded thousands

San Francisco city leaders are throwing their weight behind new federal legislation to crack down on rogue self-driving cars, after a number of Waymos clogged the city’s streets and left thousands to march home on foot during a disastrous July Fourth celebration.

The proposed law by Congressman Kevin Mullin (D-Calif.) would direct federal regulators to establish minimum national safety standards for autonomous vehicles. Specifically, the new rules would make sure the vehicles will not impede emergency operations.

“This legislation will give local government and autonomous vehicle companies a clearer framework for coordinating during an emergencies and unexpected disruptions,” Lurie said at a Tuesday press conference.

“It would also ensure that AV’s respond appropriately when streets close, traffic patterns change, signals fail or when first responders need immediate access.”

Under the bill, autonomous vehicle companies would be required to provide standardized emergency response protocols. It also would require a 24-hour hotline that gives public officials direct access to AV companies.

There could also be a process allowing public officials to “geofence” AVs, or in other words, placing limits on where self-driving vehicles can operate during emergencies.

“This is an attempt for the federal government to engage on the issue and develop some uniform standards of protocol across the country that really puts the onus on these companies to do the right thing,” Mullin said.

The self-driving car company, Waymo, seems to be in support of the federal legislation.

“Establishing minimum guidelines would provide the entire industry and public safety community with a consistent framework,” a spokesperson said in a statement to ABC7.

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The new technology has drawn intense attention for sometimes troublesome interactions with local emergency responders. San Francisco, a hub for self-driving technology, has been a hotspot of cases in which vehicles drive through crime scenes or obstructed fire crews and paramedics.

Mayor Daniel Lurie has been a booster for Waymos in the city, announcing plans last year to open Market Street — where private vehicles are otherwise banned — to its robotaxis.

On the Fourth of July, numerous Waymo vehicles sat idle on San Francisco streets during heavy traffic and severely exacerbated congestion related to a fireworks show near the Golden Gate Bridge.

One ride turned terrifying after a Waymo vehicle appeared to drive directly through an exploding firework while its passengers watched in horror.

“In coordination with local authorities and emergency services, our roadside assistance team worked quickly to clear our vehicles from the area,” Waymo had said then on the July Fourth congestion. “Our team is always evaluating ways to strengthen Waymo’s resilience in major traffic disruptions.”

Also last December, Waymos stalled throughout the city during a power outage that took out the city’s traffic lights, which the technology relies on to self-drive.

Waymo is owned by Alphabet Inc., Google’s parent company.

The autonomous driving program began in 2009 as the Google Self-Driving Car Project, internally known as Project Chauffeur, before becoming a standalone Alphabet subsidiary in December 2016.

The company has not disclosed how many Waymos it currently deploys in the Bay Area city. Last year, it said more than 800 vehicles were in commercial operation across the Bay Area.