Self-driving cars have been crisscrossing California’s public roads and freeways with the state’s permission for more than a year now, and as far back as 2009 when it wasn’t officially sanctioned. Those vehicles, from Google and 10 other car manufacturers, have had a steering wheel, brake and live person in the car to ensure a human can intervene in case the technology fails.
New legislation introduced by Assemblymember Susan Bonilla, D-Concord, would, in effect, begin to take the training wheels off these cars.
Introduced on Jan. 6, AB 1592 would allow the Contra Costa Transportation Authority to conduct a pilot project testing autonomous vehicles that aren’t equipped with a steering wheel, a brake pedal, an accelerator, or an operator inside the vehicle – with two caveats.
One: The vehicles must operate at speeds of less than 35 mph.
Two: The testing would be allowed at a privately owned business office park chosen by the Contra Costa Transportation Authority, or at the GoMentum Station at the former Concord Naval Weapons Station.
"I'm hoping we'll have success with this bill because we need to make sure our companies that are at the forefront of autonomous vehicle innovation are able to get their testing done here in California," Bonilla said Wednesday.
Several manufacturers of self-driving cars have been testing at the former Concord Naval Weapons Station, where the Contra Costa Transportation Authority is facilitating the GoMentum test facility with a number of partners from industry, government and academia. The area has 20 miles of secure roadways that are closed to the public.
“Because of the need to limit the scope of testing of new autonomous vehicle technology it is necessary to limit authorization for the establishment of a pilot project to the Contra Costa Transportation Authority,” AB 1592 says.
