Waymo might be expanding its autonomous taxi services to northern cities like Minneapolis and Detroit, but back in Santa Monica, the company’s strained relationship with local residents has reached a breaking point.

According to the Santa Monica Daily Press, the city council has issued a formal demand that Waymo end overnight operations at two charging facilities there. City counselors unanimously approved the measure, which doesn’t mention Waymo by name, but instead orders two lots the company uses to charge and dispatch vehicles to cease nighttime operations.

  • kent_eh@lemmy.ca
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    1 day ago

    The punishment (or the threat of punishment) is supposed to be part of the motivation to not drive into pedestrians.

    If the decision makers behind the fully automatic vehicles don’t fear that punishment, the concern is that they’ll make choices that are motivated more by profits and efficiencies and less by safe driving and preventing harms.

    And given the abuses of profit seeking executives we have seen in the past, it is a valid concern.

      • IronKrill@lemmy.ca
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        1 day ago

        Ah yes, people slow down near cops for the love of the game, not because they’re afraid of a ticket or jail time.

          • kent_eh@lemmy.ca
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            17 hours ago

            Of course not. Most people are motivated to doing the right thing simplybecauseitbis the right thing to do.

             

            But some people seem to need the threat of personal consequences to keep them from being selfish assholes. And it often appears that those are the same type of people who manage to get themselves into decision making positions in the business world.