Re “Robotaxis could see ‘public backlash’ amid job loss fears, San Diego study says” (March 10): San Diego stands at a crossroads. It can embrace autonomous vehicles for safer streets and better mobility or let taxi unions and transit officials pump the brakes on progress. Recent votes by the Metropolitan Transit System against Waymo’s expansion highlight the peril. Autonomous taxis like Waymo promise huge wins for our city: crash reductions (90% of accidents are human error), rides for seniors and the disabled, less congestion on highways and zero-emission fleets. Yet unions and the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System demand local control to stall deployment.
This isn’t new — it echoes Luddite resistance to machines. But state law gives the California Public Utilities Commission and the Department of Motor Vehicles oversight. Let’s not block what works in San Francisco or Los Angeles. The commission must reject devolving veto authority to cities. San Diego’s citizens and visitors deserve autonomous vehicle options to protect innovation from local roadblocks.
— Dick Goldman, San Diego