I spoke with outgoing SFMTA head Jeffrey Tumlin about robotaxis' impact on San Francisco – and the threat they pose to multimodal cities worldwide.
Tumlin: “I am very worried that so much of the joy of the remaining walkable cities in the world could be at risk from self-driving cars.”
@davidzipper Then why did he repeatedly close roads to pedestrians, cyclists, etc. during his tenure? Pedestrianisation of roads during COVID was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make big progress on making SF more walkable, yet he repeatedly rolled over to special interests and re-closed them, welcoming cars, tourist buses etc. back with open arms. Dude talks a big game but his actions speak more loudly.
There certainly are plusses and minuses, but this:
"The robotaxis create greater convenience for the privileged”
is grossly #Ableist
https://apple.news/AO_jFwWgoQ6Svril2rceN5g
or
https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/blind-people-waymos-changing-lives-19965037.php
