D.C. Council Member Janeese Lewis George pledges to block Waymo from launching its robotaxi service in the city

@colinmort Saying DC isn't ready for Waymo isn't the same thing as vowing to prevent it. Very misleading to frame it that way!

@milansingh03 I also bike and trust Waymo around me more than human drivers ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

@colinmort You mean transformative when it blows by school buses, clogs intersections when the lights go out, or 50 of them do a merry-go-round in a cul de sac?

@colinmort We don't want it

@colinmort Half-assed solution when we should instead be investing more in WMATA and other regional transit agencies

@milansingh03 I don't view lame duck legislation as anti-democratic

@milansingh03 I'd be pissed on the grounds of sound policy, not democratic norms

@colinmort Seems anti-democratic

@colinmort You're proposing that the lame-duck mayor ram through something that the newly-elected mayor is opposed to.

@milansingh03 Why?

@andrewdefrank @colinmort Mode choice is personal —How would you even measure or enforce whether an AV replaces a car trip vs a transit trip? Are you talking about pricing people out of AV use? Thanks!

@colinmort Leave that nonsense out of DC please

@nigro4dc @colinmort I think we aren’t ready right this second — but we can a should get ready very quickly. We need to set up the regs to make sure AVs replace driver car trips, not transit trips, to the extent possible.

@andrewdefrank @nigro4dc @colinmort Doesn't seem like "DC is not ready" is a meaningful statement then. In the case of JLG, it's obviously code for "not gonna happen," barring some change of heart.

Why is @CMLewisGeorgeW4 @Janeese4DC opposed or thinks DC is not ready for AVs? DC should be leading, not lagging, in 21st‑century tech. Not the same lane as @waymo, @zoox, or @robotaxi, but similar enough — I use Tesla FSD (supervised) daily across the city and beyond. It’s fantastic, especially at night! 🚗 cc: @charlesallen @CMCharlesAllen

@colinmort Would you feel the same way if the outgoing mayor passed a Waymo ban before a pro-Waymo successor took office?

@cojobrien @nigro4dc @colinmort why do you think that's so obvious? genuinely asking

@colinmort She didn’t say that thing.

@colinmort Fair enough. Personally, I just don't care that much about Waymo. I bike 🤷‍♂️

@andrewdefrank @colinmort I’d argue DC is ready. Andrew-What’s your view on DC’s readiness for AVs?