Uber has admitted that there is a “problem” with the way autonomous vehicles cross bike lanes, according to The Guardian.
This self-admission by the company comes only days after it proclaimed it would openly defy California government regulations over autonomous vehicles and push forward with its implementation plans.
Uber began piloting its self-driving vehicles in its home town of San Francisco last week, despite state officials’ declaration that the ride-share company needed special permits to test its technology. On day one, numerous autonomous vehicles – which have a driver in the front seat who can take control – were caught running red lights and committing a range of traffic violations.
Despite the potential flaws in its technology, Uber is pushing forward with testing in direct opposition of California regulators’ opposition.
According to the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition executive director, who tested the vehicle days before the launch, he observed the vehicle making an “unsafe right-hook-style turn through a bike lane.”
Advocates for self-driving vehicles say they have the potential to be safer than human-operated ones, but also acknowledge that cyclists pose a unique challenge for the technology due to being more agile and higher-speed, as well as it being more difficult to predict a cyclist’s behaviour.
