Waymo has told cycling campaigners in the US that expecting its autonomous robo-taxis to stay out of bike lanes is 'too high a bar,' because customers expect to be picked up and dropped off in them. The company acknowledges this is 'normal practice' despite it being illegal under traffic law. A San Francisco cyclist sued Waymo after being seriously injured when a driverless taxi stopped in a bike lane and a passenger opened the door into her path. Waymo is now expanding to London, where cycling groups have raised safety concerns about the vehicles navigating the city's complex streets. Critics also argue that even if individual AV miles are safer, increased car usage induced by robo-taxis could lead to more crashes overall.
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