With the rapid growth of autonomous vehicle systems in cities, many activists are concerned and have used very unconventional methods to protest and disable these vehicles.
Using traffic cones to disable self-driving cars.
A group of activists in San Francisco, known as Safe Street Rebel, is taking a stand against autonomous vehicles by using a surprising weapon: traffic cones. Placing these cones on the hoods of self-driving cars effectively renders the vehicles useless.
Safe Street Rebel has been documenting their cone operation on Instagram. The reason the cones can disable the cars is that they obstruct the LIDAR devices on the vehicle’s roof, as explained by Motherboard.
Protest against self-driving cars.
The main targets of their protest are the self-driving cars owned by Waymo and Cruise. These companies are seeking approval from a state commission panel on July 13 to expand their robotaxi operations in the city. Safe Street Rebel believes that this expansion will lead to an increase in the number of cars in the city, pose a safety risk to pedestrians, and cause traffic congestion by blocking buses and emergency vehicles, as reported by ABC 7.
Concerns about safety and congestion.
The activists, referring to their actions leading up to the vote as “The Week of Cone,” are voicing their concerns. “As a pedestrian, I am concerned,” one member of the group expressed to ABC 7. “I see them stop and open their doors in the bike lane. I feel rushed when crossing the street in front of them. If I take the bus, I wonder if it will stall and all 40 of us will be stuck behind it.”
Dominance of self-driving cars in cities.
The activists view self-driving cars not as a revolutionary mode of transportation, but rather as a means for auto companies to further entrench car dominance and reliance in cities, as stated by a group member in an interview with Motherboard.
Unconventional methods of disrupting autonomous vehicles.
This is not the first instance of using unconventional methods to disrupt autonomous vehicles. In 2017, artist James Bridle trapped a self-driving car inside a circle made of sprinkled salt, as reported by Vice.
Growing wariness towards self-driving: Beyond San Francisco, there is growing wariness towards self-driving cars. In Tempe, Arizona, an angry pedestrian attacked a Waymo vehicle and its driver last year, according to The Verge. Waymo has faced backlash from irate residents in Arizona, as the company has been deploying its self-driving vehicles in the state for several years.
Denounce the use of traffic cones: Waymo has denounced the use of traffic cones, describing them as dangerous and a form of vandalism, as reported by ABC 7. Cruise, another company affected by the protests, stated that these prankish demonstrations are impeding their charitable efforts, such as providing free rides to service workers late at night, recovering food waste from city businesses, and offering meals to poverty-stricken residents.
(By Sharon Adarlo)
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