After response to backlash from California officials, Uber removed its self driving cars from the roads of San Franciso. Now Pennsylvania is letting Uber know that roads of Pennsylvania are open as a testing ground for self driving vehicles.
Last year Pittsburgh came into national headlines when it became the first city to test ground Uber’s self driving cars. The popular taxi service company tied up with educators at Carnegie Mellon University to perfect auto driving technology and then the self driving cars hit city roads in summer.
Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has applied to the American Department of Transportation to be designated as an “automated vehicle providing ground” to hep city facilitate the safe and innovative development of new technologies.
If successful, Pennsylvania can receive an unspecified amount of funding from the US government to help and further proceed the autonomous vehicle testing at three locations in the state. Those locations are in the city of Pittsburgh, two closed tracks are at Pennsylvania State University and the Pocono Raceway.
According to a press release from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, the application outlined the “benefits and possibilities” that already exist with self-driving cars in Pennsylvania, in addition to an “array of environments and topography” that offer “varying degrees of testing” conditions for cars.
In Pittsburgh specifically the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation said the city has a number of bridges and tunnels which will offer unique conditions, which are not found in most of the urban environments. Furthermore they added, that the closed track at Pocono will offer the chance to test self driving at high speeds.
“This application further provides that they are a national leader in supporting autonomous vehicle development with safety and flexibility in mind,” Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Secretary Leslie Richards said that. “They have put in significant work on this issue with their task forces, with their partners in the Legislature and through close collaboration with the industry.”
Pittsburgh city partnered with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation in submitting the application to US Government, and Mayor Bill Peduto stated, that the city looks forward to continue the “laboratory for innovation that benefits all residents.”
AMandeep
