* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.
          [00:00:03]
          GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYONE. 
          I'M GONNA CALL TODAY'S TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMITTEE MEETING TO ORDER. 
          THE CALL OF TODAY'S MEETING IS TO DISCUSS THE EMERGENT EMERGENCE OF AU OF AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES AND ROBO TAXI, SUCH AS WAYMO, UH, AND THE POTENTIAL FUTURE IMPACTS ON TRANSPORTATION, PUBLIC SAFETY, ACCESSIBILITY, LABOR UNIONS, AND THE COMMUNITY. 
          THE FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS IS A ROLL CALL OF MEMBERS PRESENT VICE MAYOR. 
          PRESENT PRESENT, COUNCILLOR FLAHERTY. 
          PRESENT. 
          PRESENT, COUNCILLOR NOLAN. 
          PRESENT. 
          PRESENT, COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. 
          PRESENT, PRESENT, COUNCILLOR ZUI. 
          ABSENT, THAT'S FOUR MEMBERS PRESENT AND ONE RECORDED AS ABSENT. 
          WE ALSO HAVE, UH, COUNCILOR MCGOVERN AND COUNCILLOR NOLAN, UH, AND MAYOR SIDIKI PRESENT. 
          UM, SO PURSUANT TO CHAPTER TWO OF THE ACTS OF 2025, ADOPTED BY THE MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL COURT AND APPROVED BY THE GOVERNOR, THE CITY IS AUTHORIZED TO USE REMOTE PARTICIPATION AT MEETINGS OF THE CAMBRIDGE CITY COUNCIL AND ITS COMMITTEES. 
          PLEASE NOTE THAT THE CITY OF CAMBRIDGE AUDIO AND VIDEO RECORDS THIS MEETING AND MAKES IT AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC FOR FUTURE VIEWING. 
          THIRD PARTIES MAY ALSO BE, UH, AUDIO AND VIDEO RECORDING THIS MEETING. 
          IN ADDITION TO HAVING MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL PARTICIPATE REMOTELY, WE HAVE ALSO SET UP ZOOM TELECONFERENCE FOR PUBLIC CONFERENCE. 
          EACH SPEAKER WILL HAVE TWO MINUTES. 
          IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PROVIDE PUBLIC COMMENT, PLEASE V VISIT THE CITY COUNCIL SECTION OF THE CITY'S WEBPAGE, INSTRUCTIONS FOR HOW TO SIGN UP TO SPEAK, POSTED THERE. 
          ONCE YOU HAVE COMPLETED SIGNUP PROCEDURE, YOU'LL RECEIVE A LINK TO THE ZOOM MEETING. 
          YOU CAN ALSO EMAIL WRITTEN COMMENTS FOR THE RECORD TO THE CITY CLERK AT CITY CLERK AT MASS AT CAMBRIDGE MASS, UH, DOT GOV. 
          TO WATCH THIS MEETING, PLEASE TUNE TO CHANNEL 22. 
          UH, VISIT THE OPEN MEETING PORTAL ON THE CITY WEBSITE. 
          UH, WITH THAT, ALL TODAY'S VOTE, IF ANY, WILL BE BY ROLL CALL. 
          SO, JOINING US, UH, HERE TODAY FROM THE, UH, LABOR COMMUNITY, A BRIDGET QUINN, WHO'S A LEGISLATIVE DIRECTOR FOR TEAMSTER'S JOINT COUNCIL, 10 NEW ENGLAND, UH, AUTUMN WEINTRAUB, WHO'S THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR APP DRIVERS UNIT UNION 32, BG, SEIU, UH, ABDI ABDI SE FROM THE AP DRIVERS UNION, SCOTT PAGE FROM THE COMMONS UNION 5 89, AND DARLENE LOBOS, PRESIDENT OF THE GREATER BOSTON LABOR COUNCIL. 
          FROM THE CITY, WE'VE GOT BROOKE MCKENNA, WHO'S THE COMMISSIONER OF THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, JACK PERENTE, ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER FOR STREET MANAGEMENT. 
          UH, STEPHANIE IFF, ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER FOR PARKING MANAGEMENT. 
          RACHEL TANNER HOUSE, WHO'S THE EXECUTIVE DIRECT DIRECTOR, UH, FOR A DA AND STEPHANIE GRAHL, WHO'S THE ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER OF TRANSPORTATION AND PLANNING. 
          SO, UM, WITH THAT, I GUESS WE WILL OPEN IT UP. 
          I, FOR THE CITY TO MAKE ITS PRESENTATION COMMISSION MECHANIC. 
          GOOD AFTERNOON, AND THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE, AND I APPRECIATE EVERYONE'S ATTENDANCE AND LET'S HAVE A CONVERSATION. 
          GREAT. 
          THANK YOU FOR HAVING US. 
          UM, MY PRESENTATION WILL BE RELATIVELY SHORT AND IT'S REALLY JUST KIND OF A GENERAL HIGH LEVEL OVERVIEW ABOUT AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES, UM, KIND OF SETTING THE STAGE FOR FUTURE CONVERSATIONS. 
          SO, UH, I'LL START OFF TALKING A LITTLE BIT JUST GENERALLY ABOUT AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES, UH, TALKING ABOUT THE STATUS OF AVS IN MASSACHUSETTS, KIND OF THE GENERAL CURRENT STATE OF WHERE AV DEVELOPMENT IS, AND THEN SOME GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS, UM, THAT WE'LL LOOK INTO. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, AS CONVERSATIONS CONTINUE HERE, UM, IF WE COULD, CAN WE MOVE FORWARD THE POWERPOINT FORWARD? YEP, YOU CAN KEEP GOING. 
          YEP. 
          TWO MORE, I THINK. 
          YES. 
          SO WE'LL START OFF WITH UNDERSTANDING AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES, AND WE CAN GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE. 
          UM, SO BASICALLY THERE ARE, UM, KIND OF THE, UH, GENERAL DEFINITIONS OF AUTONOM, LEVELS OF AUTONOMOUS DRIVING. 
          START WITH LEVEL ZERO AND GO UP THROUGH LEVEL FIVE. 
          AND ON MY NEXT SLIDE I'LL HAVE SOME EXAMPLES OF EACH OF THESE LEVELS. 
          BUT GENERALLY, UH, NO AUTOMATION IS KIND OF, MOST OF THE CARS THAT WE'RE DRIVING OR THAT YOU'RE SEEING ON THE STREET RIGHT NOW. 
          UM, THERE ARE, YOU KNOW, CERTAIN LEVELS OF LIKE SAFETY MEASURES THAT ARE BUILT INTO A LOT OF CARS ON THE VEHICLE THESE DAYS, BUT THEY DON'T ACTUALLY COUNT AS AUTOMATION. 
          SO, UM, FROM THERE YOU GO UP TO LEVEL ONE, 
          [00:05:01]
WHICH IS DRIVER ASSISTANCE THAT, UM, IF YOU'RE DRIVING A NEWER CAR, UH, MANY OF THE NEWER MODELS HAVE SOME LEVELS OF DRIVER ASSISTANCE, THINGS THAT COULD EITHER HELP YOU WITH STEERING OR WITH SPEED. 
          UM, BUT THE DRIVER IS ALWAYS, UH, IN CONTROL, UM, AND RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL FUNCTIONALITY AT THAT POINT. 
          AT LEVEL TWO, THE CAR CAN HELP WITH BOTH STEERING AND SPEED. 
          UM, BUT AGAIN, THE DRIVER IS STILL RESPONSIBLE FOR BEING A HUNDRED PERCENT IN CONTROL AND ALWAYS ABLE TO TAKE OVER FROM THE AUTONOMOUS FUNCTIONS OF THE CAR AT ANY MOMENT. 
          UM, LEVEL THREE IS WHEN YOU REALLY START GETTING INTO MORE, UM, AUTONOMY, AND THERE ARE VERY LIMITED EXAMPLES THAT I'LL SHOW IN THE NEXT SLIDE OF CARS. 
          AT THIS LEVEL, THIS IS REALLY KIND OF THE CUTTING EDGE OF WHAT'S AVAILABLE TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC. 
          UM, AND AT LEVEL FOUR, YOU GET TO WHAT IS TRULY AUTONOMOUS DRIVING, UM, SUCH AS THE WAYMO VEHICLES THAT ARE OUT THERE NOW. 
          UM, BUT THESE ARE, THE AUTONOMOUS OPERATION REQUIRES A LOT OF, UH, SENSORS AND MAPPING AND KIND OF, UH, PRIOR INFORMATION ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT IN WHICH THEY'RE OPERATING. 
          AND THEN THE FINE AND THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LEVEL FOUR AND LEVEL FIVE IS IN THEORY, BECAUSE NO LEVEL FIVE EXISTS RIGHT NOW, UM, AN LEVEL FIVE AUTONOMOUS CAR COULD JUST GO ANYWHERE WITHOUT ANY PRIOR KNOWLEDGE AND BE ABLE TO OPERATE, AND WE ARE NOT THERE YET. 
          SO AT LEVEL FOUR, WHICH IS THE HIGHEST LEVEL AVAILABLE RIGHT NOW, IT, A LOT OF MAPPING GOES INTO IT, A LOT OF PRES SENSING. 
          AND SO WHEN A VEHICLE IS OPERATING AT LEVEL FOUR, THEY'RE DOING SO INSIDE LIKE A SET, UM, GEOGRAPHIC AREA THAT HAS BEEN MAPPED AND SENSED AND PROVIDED INFORMATION FOR THE ALGORITHMS, UM, THAT RUN THE CAR. 
          SO WE CAN GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE. 
          UM, SO AGAIN, MOST OF WHAT'S ON THE ROAD RIGHT NOW IS LEVEL ZERO. 
          UM, NEWER CARS HAVE SOME THINGS LIKE ADAPTIVE CAR CONTROL STEERING, UH, LANE KEEP, THINGS THAT HELP YOU FROM, FROM, UM, DRIFTING INTO THE NEXT LANE. 
          BUT AGAIN, WITH THE DRIVER FULLY RESPONSIBLE, UH, VEHICLES LIKE TESLA, GM, SUPER CRUISE, MERCEDES DRIVE ASSIST, THOSE ARE LEVEL TWO. 
          UM, WHICH HAVE, YOU KNOW, KIND OF NUMEROUS EXAMPLES OF THE WAY THAT THE AUTONOMY CAN HELP THE DRIVER, BUT AGAIN, THE DRIVER HAS TO BE IN CONTROL ALL THE TIME. 
          UM, SO LEVEL THREE, THERE ARE ONLY A COUPLE OF EXAMPLES OF LEVEL THREE COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE. 
          SO MERCEDES HAS ONE IN THE US BUT THEY ARE ONLY AUTHORIZED IN CALIFORNIA AND NEVADA ON, UM, PRE-DETERMINED HIGHWAYS UNDER 40 MILES AN HOUR AND FOLLOWING ANOTHER VEHICLE. 
          SO AT THIS LEVEL, WHILE THEY ARE LEVEL THREE, THEY ARE STILL VERY LIMITED IN HOW THEY'RE OPERATING. 
          AND THERE ARE EXAMPLE, SIMILAR EXAMPLES IN JAPAN AND IN EUROPE. 
          UH, SO THE, THE MOST WELL KNOWN EXAMPLE OF LEVEL FOUR IS THE WAYMO TAXIS. 
          AND AGAIN, THERE ARE NO, NO EXAMPLES OF LEVEL FIVE AT THIS POINT. 
          UH, WE CAN GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE. 
          UM, SO THIS IS A STATUS OF THINGS HERE IN MASSACHUSETTS. 
          CAN GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE. 
          UM, SO MASSACHUSETTS IS TAKING A VERY SLOW AND CAUTIOUS APPROACH ON SELF-DRIVING CARS. 
          AND, UM, FULLY DRIVERLESS CARS ARE NOT ALLOWED TO OPERATE ON, ON MASSACHUSETTS ROADS AS OF NOW. 
          UM, SO THERE ARE NO, UH, THERE'S NO REGULATORY FRAMEWORK, UM, NO LAWS THAT WOULD ALLOW THIS TO HAPPEN. 
          UM, SO IF YOU DO, AND PEOPLE, AND WE ARE HEARING A LOT FROM PEOPLE WHO ARE SEEING WAYMO CARS OUT ON THE ROAD, UM, THERE ARE ALWAYS SAFETY DRIVERS IN THOSE CARS AT THIS POINT. 
          I WILL SAY I'VE SEEN THEM MYSELF, AND SOMETIMES IT CAN BE A LITTLE HARD TO SEE THE SAFETY DRIVER. 
          THEY CAN SIT, UH, THE WAY THE SEATING IS, THEY'RE KIND OF BLOCKED BY THE, BY THE EDGE OF THE WINDOW, BUT, UM, THEY ARE ALWAYS WITH A DRIVER. 
          UM, SO AGAIN, THE STATE IS, IS REALLY PRIORITIZING SAFETY AND CAREFUL PLANNING OVER SOME OF THE REALLY RAPID EXPANSION THAT SOME STATES HAVE OPTED TO DO. 
          NEXT SLIDE. 
          UM, SO AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE TESTING IS ALLOWED, UM, BUT WITH STRICT SAFETY GUIDELINES. 
          UM, SO MASSACHUSETTS HAS HAD A FRAMEWORK SINCE 2016. 
          UH, CAR, UH, COMPANIES ARE ABLE TO, UH, FOLLOW A SET OF PROCEDURES TO GET PERMISSIONS TO TEST SELF-DRIVING CARS, BUT THERE AGAIN IS ALWAYS A TRAINED DRIVER IN THE SEAT WHEN THAT TESTING IS HAPPENING AND THEY ARE ABLE TO TAKE OVER AT ANY TIME. 
          UM, IN 2026, THE STATE UPDATED THEIR GUIDELINES AND CREATED A MORE CONSISTENT PROCESS FOR AV TESTING. 
          UH, PREVIOUSLY, UM, A COMPANY THAT WANTED TO TEST WOULD HAVE TO HAVE AN AGREEMENT, NOT JUST WITH 
          [00:10:01]
MASTO, BUT ALSO WITH EACH INDIVIDUAL MUNICIPALITY. 
          SO THE 2026 UPDATES STREAMLINED THAT. 
          SO THERE'S A STATEWIDE PERMITTING SYSTEM. 
          THEY PUT IN SOME GOOD RULES ABOUT AROUND INSURANCE AND DATA SHARING, AND JUST RECONFIRM THAT, UM, ANY AV TESTING MUST FOLLOW ALL EXISTING TRAFFIC LAWS CAN GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE. 
          SO DURING THIS, UH, CURRENT LEGISLATIVE SESSION, THERE HAVE BEEN FOUR SEPARATE BILLS, UM, AROUND AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES. 
          TWO OF THEM, UM, UH, A, A HOUSE AND A SENATE BILL. 
          UH, THE PAIRS ONE PAIR WAS KIND OF, UH, MORE TOWARDS MOVING AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES FORWARD AND MAKING IT EASIER FOR AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES TO OPERATE IN THE STATE. 
          AND THE SECOND ONE WAS A LITTLE MORE FOCUSED ON SAFETY AND REQUIRING SAFETY DRIVERS. 
          HOWEVER, ALL FOUR OF THOSE BILLS WERE SENT TO STUDY, WHICH IS, I GUESS THE STATE HOUSE WAY OF SAYING THAT THEY WERE DYING WITHOUT, UM, A VOTE. 
          SO ALL OF THOSE EXPIRED OR WERE SENT TO STUDY OVER THE SUMMER, I BELIEVE, AND WILL NOT BE MOVING FORWARD THIS LEGISLATIVE SESSION. 
          SO EITHER THOSE BILLS COULD BE REFILED AFTER, UH, JANUARY OR NEW BILLS, DIFFERENT BILLS COULD BE FILED AS WELL. 
          SO AS OF NOW, THERE'S NOTHING ON THE DOCKET TO BE DISCUSSED DURING THE REST OF THE LEGISLATIVE SESSION. 
          UH, NEXT, NEXT SLIDE. 
          UH, AND THIS IS, UH, WE CAN KEEP GOING TO THE NEXT ONE. 
          UM, SO BASICALLY KIND OF, THIS IS NOT JUST MASSACHUSETTS, BUT EVERYWHERE. 
          SO, UM, FOR ROBO TAXIS, WAYMO IS THE ONLY COMMERCIALLY OPERATING, UM, ROBO TAXII COMPANY. 
          UM, THEY HAVE ABOUT 4,000 VEHICLES AND 500,000 PAID RIDES A WEEK. 
          UM, AND AGAIN, THEY'RE, THEY'RE OPERATING IN GEO-FENCED AREAS WHERE THEY HAVE ALREADY DONE A LOT OF MAPPING AND, AND SURVEY BEFORE THEY GO INTO AN AREA. 
          UM, AND THEN THERE'S ALSO, UH, ZOOX, WHICH IS, UM, ALSO OPERATING, JUST DOING DEMO RIDES, NOT ACTUAL COMMERCIAL SERVICE. 
          AND THIS IS THE SECOND PICTURE DOWN ON THE SLIDE. 
          AND IT'S INTERESTING 'CAUSE THIS IS THE FIRST AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE THAT GOT PERMISSION FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO NOT HAVE A STEERING WHEEL. 
          SO THAT IS A SMALL LITTLE CAR THAT CAN GO FORWARD AND BACKWARD. 
          UM, IT'S BIDIRECTIONAL AND DOES NOT HAVE A STEERING WHEEL, AND THEY'RE APPROVED BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO HAVE UP TO 2,500 VEHICLES A YEAR. 
          UM, BUT AGAIN, NOT, UM, COMMERCIALLY OPERATING YET. 
          UH, NEXT SLIDE. 
          UM, ON THE GOODS AND CARGO SIDE, UM, THERE IS NEURO AUTONOMOUS DELIVERY PODS OPERATING IN THREE STATES, UM, THAT DO KIND OF LOWER SPEED LAST MILE DELIVERY. 
          UM, AND THAT'S THE PICTURE YOU CAN SEE ON THE SCREEN. 
          UM, AND THEN THERE IS AUTO AUTONOMOUS, LARGE TRUCKING, UM, HAPPENING ON SOME CORRIDORS IN THE WESTERN PART OF THE, OF THE COUNTRY THAT ARE USED FOR LONGER HAUL, UM, AND NOT THE KIND OF LAST MILE DELIVERIES. 
          NEXT SLIDE. 
          UM, SO WAYMO, UM, CAME TO BOSTON FOR THE FIRST TIME LAST MAY, UH, TO DO DATA COLLECTION AND TESTING. 
          THEY WERE HERE FOR ABOUT SIX WEEKS, AND THEY WENT AROUND THE GREATER BOSTON AREA. 
          AGAIN, THERE WAS ALWAYS A HUMAN, UM, DRIVER BEHIND THE WHEEL. 
          AND ACCORDING TO WAYMO, THEIR PURPOSE WAS TO VALIDATE ITS DRIVER SYSTEM, THEIR ITS AUTONOMOUS DRIVING SYSTEM IN OUR CHALLENGING CONDITIONS. 
          SO, RAIN, SNOW, NARROW LANES, AND COMPLEX INTERSECTIONS. 
          UM, SO THEY CAME LAST SPRING AND LEFT, BUT THEY CAME BACK AT SOME POINT AND THEY CAN BE SEEN REGULARLY IN THE AREA. 
          UM, AND I THINK THEY'VE VERY CLEARLY INDICATED THAT BOSTON IS A MARKET THAT THEY ARE HOPING TO MOVE INTO, UH, NEXT SLIDE. 
          BUT AGAIN, BECAUSE WE DO NOT HAVE A REGULATORY FRAMEWORK RIGHT NOW, THEY ARE NOT ABLE TO DO THAT. 
          UM, AND AGAIN, YOU KNOW, THEY SEE BOSTON AS AN AREA WHERE THEY CAN REALLY PROVE THEMSELVES IF THEY CAN, UM, UH, IF THEY CAN OPERATE HERE, THEY CAN OPERATE ANYWHERE WITH, BETWEEN OUR STREET NETWORK, OUR WEATHER, AND OUR DRIVERS. 
          UM, ONE PERSON THAT I, THAT I SAW IN REDDICK SAID, UH, MASSACHUSETTS IS THE FINAL BOSS FOR AUTONOMOUS DRIVING. 
          SO NEXT SLIDE. 
          UM, SO THESE ARE SOME GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT WE'LL HAVE TO BE THINKING ABOUT, UH, MOVING FORWARD. 
          AND ONE THING I'LL SAY IS I HAVEN'T INCLUDED IN HERE TO PROBABLY THE TWO, TWO MOST IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS, WHICH IS LABOR ISSUES AND, UM, ACCESSIBILITY ISSUES. 
          AND I LEFT THOSE OFF OF MY PRESENTATION BECAUSE WE HAVE, UH, PEOPLE MUCH, MUCH BETTER PREPARED AND, AND READY TO TALK ABOUT THOSE ISSUES AS SOON AS I'M DONE. 
          UM, SO FIRST AND FOREMOST, AND THIS IS SOMETHING THAT YOU KNOW, IS VERY, 
          [00:15:01]
VERY IMPORTANT FROM THE TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM PERSPECTIVE, IS THAT WE, THE FUTURE OF AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES HAVE TO BE SHARED. 
          IF EVERYONE OWNS THEIR OWN AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES, CONGESTION WILL BE SIGNIFICANTLY WORSE THAN IT IS NOW, BECAUSE RIGHT NOW, UM, WE DON'T HAVE INDIVIDUAL PEOPLE WITH DEADHEAD MILES, RIGHT? SO DEADHEAD MILES ARE, ARE TIMES WHEN IT'S EITHER YOU COULD SAY AT ABOUT A RIDESHARE OR ABOUT A TAXI WHERE THE VEHICLE IS DRIVING AROUND AND NOT ACTUALLY GETTING SOMEONE, YOU KNOW, FROM PLACE A TO PLACE B. 
          SO WITH AN AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE, THE POTENTIAL IS THERE THAT YOU COULD HAVE SOMEONE OWNING THEIR OWN INDIVIDUAL AV, YOU KNOW, RIDE TO WORK IN THEIR CAR, SEND THEIR CAR OFF TO DRIVE AROUND ALL DAY BECAUSE THERE'S NO PARKING AVAILABLE, AND THEN COME BACK AND PICK THEM UP AT THE END OF THE DAY. 
          SO YOU CAN IMAGINE HOW MUCH CONGESTION THAT WOULD ADD TO OUR ROADWAYS. 
          SO IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT AS WE'RE THINKING ABOUT REGULATIONS MOVING FORWARD, WE'RE REALLY LOOKING TO MAKE THIS A SHARED FUTURE, UM, AND NOT INDIVIDUAL OWNERSHIP. 
          AND THIS IS IN ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT BECAUSE YOU CAN SEE IN THE GRAPH HERE THAT THE COST OF AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES ARE, IS FALLING REALLY FAST. 
          SO IN THE PAST IT'S ALWAYS BEEN, OH, IT'S ALWAYS GONNA BE TOO EXPENSIVE FOR INDIVIDUAL OWNERSHIP, BUT THEY'RE NOW SAYING THAT BY 2030, THEY'RE ESTIMATING THAT THE COST WILL BE BELOW $50,000, UH, FOR AN AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE. 
          UH, NEXT, NEXT SLIDE. 
          UM, SO AGAIN, UM, AN AN INTERESTING SLASH CONCERNING, UM, ISSUE RELATED TO REGULATIONS IS THAT WHILE RIGHT NOW THERE'S NO REGULATORY FRAMEWORK IN PLACE THAT COULD CHANGE AT ANY TIME AT THE STATE OR FEDERAL LEVEL, AND THAT REGULATION WOULD VERY LIKELY PREEMPT ANY LOCAL CONTROLS. 
          AND WE SAW THIS HAPPEN WHEN THE RIDE SHARE INDUSTRY FIRST CAME IN, CAME INTO BEING THAT, UM, REGULATION ON THE STATE AND FEDERAL LEVEL OR ON THE STATE LEVEL, PRIMARILY PREEMPTED ALL LOCAL CONTROLS. 
          AND IT'S REALLY BEEN A NEGATIVE THING FOR MUNICIPALITIES TO HAVE NO ABILITY TO GET INFORMATION FROM RIDESHARE COMPANIES, UH, REGULATE THEM IN ANY WAYS. 
          SO IT'S UNLIKELY THAT WE CAN DO ANYTHING TO STOP, UM, PREEMPTION AT THE STATE OR FEDERAL LEVEL, BUT IT JUST MEANS IT'S ALL THE MORE IMPORTANT THAT WE TRY TO HAVE OUR SAY IN DEVELOPING THOSE REGULATIONS. 
          NEXT SLIDE. 
          UM, SO RELATED TO ROAD SAFETY, I MEAN, THE GENERAL UNDERSTANDING IS THAT ULTIMATELY AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES WILL BE A HUGE SAFETY BOON, UM, IF THEY'RE IMPLEMENTED WELL, UM, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE SOME STATISTICS UP THERE I THINK WE REALLY DON'T KNOW YET. 
          A LOT OF THESE ARE JUST ESTIMATES, BUT, UM, IT IS LIKELY THAT DONE WELL AVS COULD BE A SAFETY BOON. 
          UM, HOWEVER, THAT'S REALLY GONNA DEPEND ON WHAT PERCENTAGE OF THE FLEET OUT THERE ON THE STREETS IS AUTONOMOUS. 
          AND IT'S VERY LIKELY THAT DURING THIS AN IN, UH, KIND OF AN INBETWEEN PERIOD, IT'S GONNA BE VERY CHALLENGING WHEN THERE ARE A LOT OF AVS, BUT STILL A LOT OF NON AVS ON THE STREETS. 
          SO IT'S JUST ANOTHER CON CONSIDERATION. 
          UM, WAYMO DOES REPORT THAT THEIR VEHICLES ARE, HAVE 73% LESS, UM, CRASHES THAN HUMAN DRIVERS. 
          BUT THE FLIP SIDE OF THAT IS THEY ALSO HAD TO RECALL ALMOST 4,000 VEHICLES, UM, BECAUSE OF INCIDENTS THAT WERE HAPPENING IN CONSTRUCTION ZONES. 
          SO THERE ARE CERTAINLY STILL SIGNIFICANT SAFETY CHALLENGES WITH AVS AS THEY STAND RIGHT NOW. 
          UH, NEXT SLIDE. 
          UM, REGARDING PUBLIC SAFETY. 
          UM, IT'S ANOTHER AREA WHERE WAYMO IN CITIES WHERE THEY'VE BEEN OPERATING ARE HAVING SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS. 
          UM, WHATEVER HAPPENS, UM, UH, FIRST RESPONDERS WILL NEED TO HAVE SIGNIFICANT TRAINING AROUND HOW TO DEAL WITH AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES ON THE ROAD, WHETHER IT'S, YOU KNOW, IN THE SHORTER TERM, PROBABLY WAYMO, UM, YOU KNOW, THEY, WHEN A WAYMO GETS CONFUSED, IT STOPS IN THAT IT, THEY OFTEN GET CONFUSED WHEN THEY'RE COMING ACROSS, UH, YOU KNOW, AN EMERGENCY RESPONSE, A LOCATION WHERE EMERGENCY RESPONSE IS HAPPENING. 
          UM, THEY IN THE PAST HAVE HAD TROUBLE RESPONDING TO HUMANS DIRECTING TRAFFIC, UM, WHICH IS CHALLENGING WHEN YOU KNOW THAT THAT HAPPENS WHENEVER THERE'S ANY SORT OF INCIDENT. 
          UM, SO WE'LL NEED TO, FIRST RESPONDERS WILL NEED TO DO A LOT OF COORDINATION AND TRAINING AROUND HOW TO DEAL WITH AVS AS THEY COME ONTO THE, UM, ONTO THE AREA. 
          AND THEN THERE'S STILL THE LEGAL ISSUE OF HOW DO YOU ENFORCE, UH, TRAFFIC REGULATIONS WHEN THERE IS NO, UM, DRIVER. 
          SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT NEEDS TO BE WORKED OUT. 
          UH, NEXT SLIDE. 
          UM, SO JUST FOR, FOR, UH, TO KEEP THINGS SHORT, I JUST WANTED TO RUN VERY QUICKLY. 
          THERE ARE DEFINITELY THINGS WE NEED TO BE THINKING ABOUT VERY SERIOUSLY AROUND CYBERSECURITY, PRIVACY, DATA GOVERNANCE, CURB USAGE, EQUITY, TRANSIT IMPACTS, AND INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDS. 
          [00:20:01]
UM, SO THERE IS, THERE'S A, WE'RE AT THE VERY BEGINNING OF THESE CONVERSATIONS AND THERE IS A LOT TO EXPLORE AS WE MOVE FORWARD. 
          UM, SO I THINK THAT'S MY LAST SLIDE. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          SO I WILL THANK YOU VERY MUCH. 
          UM, I THINK THAT, UM, BRIDGETTE, WILL YOU BE PRESENTING ON BEHALF OF, UH, THE TEAMSTERS OR WILL IT BE SOMEONE ELSE? I'LL BE SPEAKING. 
          OKAY. 
          SO WHY DON'T WE GO TO BRIDGETTE QUINN. 
          OKAY. 
          GOOD AFTERNOON, COUNSELORS, UM, AND STAFF, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR CALLING THIS HEARING TODAY TO TALK ABOUT, ABOUT THE ISSUE OF AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES AND THE TRUE IMPACT THAT THESE VEHICLES WILL HAVE ON OUR WORKFORCE, OUR NEIGHBORHOODS, AND OUR QUALITY OF LIFE HERE, HERE IN CAMBRIDGE AND BEYOND. 
          AND I'M JUST SO HAPPY TO BE JOINED HERE TODAY BY OUR ALLIES IN THE LABOR MOVEMENT, THE OP DRIVERS UNION, UH, 32 B-J-A-C-I-U, UM, A TU, AND THE GREATER BOSTON LABOR COUNCIL. 
          AND SO I'M REALLY FORTUNATE THAT I GET TO GET UP EVERY DAY AND FIGHT FOR WORKING PEOPLE AND FIGHT FOR TEAM FIGHTING FOR TEAMSTERS. 
          I GET TO FIGHT FOR THEIR HEALTH, THEIR HEALTH SAFETY AND PROSPERITY FOR TEAMSTERS, ACTUALLY THROUGHOUT NEW ENGLAND. 
          AND UNFORTUNATELY, OUR WAY OF LIFE IS UNDER ATTACK BY, UM, BIG COMPANIES. 
          BIG TECH COMPANIES LIKE WAYMO, WAYMO, AND OTHER COMPANIES ARE PUTTING DRIVERLESS CARS AND TRUCKS ON OUR ROADWAYS. 
          AND THEY LIKE TO SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE HERE TO HELP. 
          WE'RE HERE TO MAKE THINGS SAFER. 
          WE'RE HERE TO MAKE YOUR COMMUNITY SAFER. 
          BUT THEY DON'T REALLY TELL YOU THE TRUTH. 
          WHAT THEY'RE REALLY TRYING TO DO IS ELIMINATE JOBS. 
          NOW, FIRST AND FOREMOST, TEAMSTERS ARE NOT OPPOSED TO TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES. 
          I WANNA JUST GET THAT RIGHT OUT OF THE WAY, BUT WE REALLY WANNA PROTECT WORKING PEOPLE AND THE GOOD PAYING UNION JOBS THAT THEY HAVE. 
          AND I JUST WANTED TO TOUCH ON A LITTLE BIT. 
          WAYMO HAS BEEN ASKED IN MULTIPLE PUBLIC SETTINGS BY DIFFERENT PUBLIC OFFICIALS ABOUT JOBS AND JOB LOSS, AND WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? AND QUITE FRANKLY, THEY HAVE SKIRTED THE ANSWER. 
          THERE'S BEEN MURMURINGS OF, IT'LL CREATE SOME JOBS, BUT LIKE, WHAT JOBS ARE THEY? HOW MUCH DO THEY PAY? DO THEY COME WITH BENEFITS? AND WHAT WILL THESE JOBS BE? AND WILL YOU BE TRAINING, UM, WORKERS? THE ANSWER IS, WELL, THEIR ANSWER IS REALLY NO ANSWER. 
          UM, SO WE WOULD LIKE THE ANSWER TO THAT. 
          MAYBE YOU GUYS CAN ASK THAT QUESTION. 
          UM, SO AS WE'VE LEARNED, UM, THROUGHOUT WORKING ON THIS ISSUE, UH, WAYMO AND OTHER BIG TECH COMPANIES, THEY REALLY WANT TO BRING AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES TO OUR, UM, NEIGHBORHOODS AND RES UM, MUNICIPALITIES BECAUSE THEY WANNA MAKE TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS, QUITE FRANKLY, OFF THE BACKS OF WORKING PEOPLE. 
          UM, AND THEY WANT TO ELIMINATE THEIR JOBS. 
          AND ONE OF THOSE, UH, MEMBERS, UH, MIKE ORTIZ IS HERE TODAY. 
          HE'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT LATER ABOUT WHAT, UM, AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES WILL DO TO HIS PROFESSION AND THE RISK THAT'LL PUT HIS FAMILY AT. 
          AND YOU'RE ALSO GONNA HEAR FROM, UM, UBER AND LYFT DRIVERS TODAY WHO ARE MEMBERS OF THE OP DRIVERS UNION WHO ARE GONNA TALK ABOUT THE THREAT TO THE WORK THAT THEY DO AND HOW THEY PROVIDE FOR THEIR FAMILIES. 
          SO LOOK, WE KNOW, UM, WE SEE THE RIDING ON THE WALL, RIGHT? WE KNOW THAT DRIVERLESS CARS AND TRUCKS ARE JUST SALIVATING OVER THE IDEA THAT THEY COULD ELIMINATE TEAMSTER JOBS AND WORK ANYONE WHO DRIVES FOR A LIVING THROUGHOUT MASSACHUSETTS. 
          IN ADDITION TO THE LOSS OF JOBS, THERE ARE SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUES INVOLVING AUTOMATION. 
          WAYMO HAS SAID THAT THEIR CARS ARE SAFER THAN HUMANS, AND NOTHING COULD BE FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH. 
          IF WAYMO'S ARE SO FA SAFE, WHY HAS THIS COMPANY HAD TO RECALL, AS YOU MENTIONED, OVER 4,000 VEHICLES, WHY HAS IT BEEN PLACED UNDER INVESTIGATION BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT? WE HAVE SEEN COUNTLESS STORIES IN THE NEWS OVER THE PAST COUPLE YEARS WITH WAYMO'S RIDING THROUGH CONSTRUCTION SITES, RIDING THROUGH ACTIVE POLICE SIGNS AND IMPEDING AMBULANCES, AND FROM GETTING WHERE THEY NEED TO GO THERE. 
          THESE ARE WELL-DOCUMENTED INCIDENTS IN CITIES SUCH AS PHOENIX, HOUSTON, AND SAN FRANCISCO. 
          IN FACT, THERE HAVE BEEN WELL OVER 50 PUBLIC SAFETY INCIDENTS IN SAN FRANCISCO IN OVER 200 CRASHES, BOTH MINOR AND MAJOR IN ARIZONA, BETWEEN 21, 20 21, AND 2024 IN MARCH OF LAST YEAR. 
          IN FACT, THE SAN FRANCISCO CITY COUNCIL HELD A HIGH STAKES HEARING, EXAMINING WAYMO'S FAILURES DURING A MAJOR POWER OUTAGE THAT SAW DRIVERLESS CARS JUST SIMPLY STOP. 
          'CAUSE THEY WERE CONFUSED AND PARKED IN THE MIDDLE OF BUSY STREETS AND INTERSECTIONS. 
          NO ONE COULD GO ANYWHERE. 
          LAST OCTOBER, THE MINNEAPOLIS CITY COUNCIL PASSED AN ORDINANCE THAT WILL REQUIRE THE PRESENCE OF A HUMAN SAFETY OPERATOR IN ANY AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE. 
          THE ST. 
          PAUL'S CITY COUNCIL VOTED TO PROCEED WITH A WIDE RANGING STUDY THAT WOULD SEEK TO DEMONSTRATE THE IMPACT THAT DRIVERS VEHICLES 
          [00:25:01]
WOULD HAVE, LIKE WAYMO'S WOULD HAVE ON RIDE SHARE DRIVERS AND SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS AND PUBLIC TRANSIT AND SYSTEMS IN THE LOCAL ECONOMY COUNT IN OTHER MUNICIPALITIES. 
          WE'VE SEEN, YOU KNOW, I WE'VE SEEN, UM, IN AUSTIN, TEXAS WHERE WAYMO'S HAVE DRIVEN, THEY WERE OVER 20 INCIDENTS WHERE WAYMO'S DROVE RIGHT THROUGH SCHOOL BUS STOP SIGNS. 
          AND QUITE FRANKLY, IT'S A MIRACLE THAT NO WAS NO CHILD OR TEACHER WAS HARMED IN THESE INCIDENTS. 
          USED TO BE VERY CONCERNING. 
          UM, WHEN IT COMES TO WEATHER, YOU KNOW, WE ARE, UH, WE LIVE IN THE EAST COAST AND WE LIVE WITH EXTREME WEATHER. 
          IT GETS REALLY COLD IN THE WINTER WITH, UH, LOTS OF SNOW AND SLEET, AND IT GETS REALLY HOT IN THE SUMMER. 
          IN FACT, UH, LAST YEAR, WAYMO WAS PLANNING TO DEMONSTRATE ITS VEHICLES, UH, UP AT THE STATE HOUSE, AND THEY ACTUALLY HAD TO CANCEL THE EVENT BECAUSE IT WAS TOO HOT FOR THE VEHICLES TO OPERATE. 
          THAT SHOULD BE OF CONCERN. 
          UM, IT CERTAINLY WAS TO US. 
          AND SO I THINK, YOU KNOW, YOU'LL HEAR FROM MY COLLEAGUES TODAY, UM, SOME MORE INFORMATION, SOME VALUE INFORMATION, AND OF COURSE, WE ARE HERE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE. 
          I JUST REALLY WANTED TO END BY SAYING THAT, UM, IN A RECENT POLL, 78% OF MASSACHUSETTS RESIDENTS ARE OPPOSED TO AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES HITTING OUR STREETS. 
          UM, AND CHIEF AMONG THE CONCERNS WAS PUBLIC SAFETY. 
          SO THAT'S ALL I'LL SAY FOR TODAY, AND I'LL TURN IT OVER TO ONE OF MY COLLEAGUES. 
          AUTUMN, THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH. 
          SORRY. 
          THANK YOU, BRIDGET. 
          UM, AND THANK YOU COUNSELORS. 
          UH, THANK YOU, CHAIR FLAHERTY. 
          UH, SHOUT OUT TO THE DRIVERS THAT ARE HERE TODAY, THE APP DRIVERS FOR UBER AND LYFT. 
          SORRY, CAN YOU JUST SPEAK A LITTLE BIT BETTER INTO THE MIC? YES. 
          YEAH, I CAN BRING IT CLOSER. 
          THANK YOU. 
          YEAH, THANK YOU. 
          UM, SORRY ABOUT THAT. 
          YES, JUST RECOGNIZING ALL THE DRIVERS THAT WE HAVE HERE TODAY, UH, BOTH FOR UBER AND LYFT AND TEAMSTER DRIVERS, AND, UH, MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS HERE IN THE LABOR MOVEMENT, IT'S GREAT TO BE HERE WITH YOU TODAY IN THIS COALITION. 
          UM, MY NAME IS AUTUMN WEINTRAUB AND I SERVE AS THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE APP DRIVERS UNION. 
          UH, WE REPRESENT, UH, 70,000 RECENTLY UNIONIZED UBER AND LYFT DRIVERS IN THE STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS. 
          UM, AND THE APP DRIVERS UNION IS PART OF THE OF 32 BJ AND THE IAM, THE MACHINIST UNION. 
          AND WE'RE HERE TO SAY THAT WE HAVE TO HIT THE BRAKES ON ALLOWING DRIVERLESS VEHICLES ON OUR STREETS DESPITE WAYMO'S AGGRESSIVE, NONSTOP LOBBYING. 
          UH, THE STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS AS, AS YOU SAW, UH, HAS NOT ADVANCED, UH, WAYMO'S ABILITY TO OPERATE HERE. 
          UM, BUT WAYMO, LIKE OTHER BIG TECH COMPANIES, LIKE TO MOVE FAST AND BREAK THINGS, UH, BEFORE WE KNOW WHAT WE'RE IN FOR. 
          AND RIGHT NOW THEY'RE HERE, THEY'RE PURSUING BECAUSE THEY HAVEN'T MADE IT IN THE STATE. 
          THEY'RE HERE PURSUING, UH, THIS CITY AND OTHERS ACROSS THE STATE. 
          OTHER MIN MUNICIPALITIES, UM, WAYMO'S ASK MOM THEN ASK DAD. 
          GAMBIT TREATS OUR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS LIKE PARENTS TO BE WORN DOWN. 
          IF THEY CAN'T GET AT ONE PLACE, THEY GO TO THE NEXT, UH, SO THAT THEY CAN GET TO YES AND IMPOSE LIFE ALTERING TECHNOLOGY ON OUR COMMUNITIES. 
          AND IT'S NOT ABOUT INNOVATION FOR THEM, IT'S REALLY, IT'S DEATH BY A THOUSAND CUTS. 
          IT'S ABOUT THE LIVES AND LIVELIHOODS OF THOUSANDS OF RIDE SHARE DRIVERS AND OTHER WORKERS ACROSS THE STATE AND THEIR FAMILIES THAT RELY ON THEM. 
          ALLOWING ROBO TAXIS WOULD MEAN A DIRECT HIT TO JOBS, BUT NOT JUST JOBS, BUT OUR LOCAL ECONOMIES. 
          DRIVERS ARE ALREADY STRETCHED THIN, WILL BE PUSHED FURTHER INTO DEBT, THEY'LL WORK LONGER HOURS FOR FEWER TRIPS, THEY'LL BE FORCED TO COMPETE WITH ROBOTS. 
          MASSACHUSETTS RIDESHARE DRIVERS ARE CURRENTLY NEGOTIATING THE NATION'S FIRST UNION CONTRACT FOR RIDESHARE DRIVERS IN THE COUNTRY. 
          DRIVERS WON THE RIGHT TO IMPROVE THEIR JOBS THROUGH A UNION AFTER A MAJORITY OF MASSACHUSETTS VOTERS SUPPORTED QUESTION THREE IN 2024. 
          A GREAT DEAL OF THAT SUPPORT CAME FROM RIGHT HERE IN CAMBRIDGE, UM, THE PEOPLE OF CAMBRIDGE, AND ALSO STUDENTS AT HARVARD, MIT AND OTHER CAMPUSES, UH, WHERE STUDENTS AND STAFF AND THE COMMUNITY STOOD WITH DRIVERS. 
          NOW, DRIVERLESS CARS THREATEN THAT PROGRESS, AND IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT DRIVERS, IT'S ABOUT THE RIPPLE EFFECT THAT DRIVERLESS CARS WILL HAVE ON OUR COMMUNITIES. 
          REPLACING DRIVERS WITH ROBOT TAXIS WOULD BE DEVASTATING FOR SMALL BUSINESSES, NEIGHBORHOOD ECONOMIES, AND OUR STATE'S TAX BASE. 
          THIS IS BILLIONS OF DOLLARS OF LOST INCOME. 
          DRIVERLESS CARS MEAN FEWER PAYCHECKS SPENT AT LOCAL CAR REPAIR SHOPS, 
          [00:30:01]
GAS STATIONS, AND CONVENIENCE STORES. 
          WHEN DRIVERS LOSE INCOME AND ARE DRIVEN TO UNEMPLOYMENT LINES, THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY FEELS THE LOSS. 
          AND WHO IS GOING TO TAKE CARE OF THAT? WHO'S GOING TO PAY FOR THAT? THERE ARE PARAMOUNT CONCERNS ABOUT WAYMO AND SURVEILLANCE BIAS AND POTENTIAL IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT THAT SHOULD BE OF PARTICULAR CONCERN TO THE CITY OF CAMBRIDGE, WHICH PRIDES ITSELF ON DIVERSITY. 
          WAYMO'S ARE ESSENTIALLY SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS ON WHEELS AND HAVE COME UNDER FIRE FROM PRIVACY ADVOCATES FOR THEIR COOPERATION WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT. 
          WHILE THE CITY OF CAMBRIDGE STRICTLY LIMITS LOCAL POLICE COOPERATION WITH ICE, WAYMO COULD PROVE TO BE A LOOPHOLE. 
          ICE COULD POTENTIALLY OBTAIN WAYMO FOOTAGE TO TRACK AND DEPORT ALLEGED UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS. 
          AS ICE HAS ACCESSED FOOTAGE FROM OTHER CAMERA COMPANIES AND WAYMO'S POLICIES COULD ALLOW ICE TO ACCESS ITS DATA. 
          ROBOTAXIS SOFTWARE IS ALSO NOTORIOUSLY WORSE AT DETECTING DARKER SKINNED PEOPLE THAN LIGHTER SKINNED ONES. 
          THIS BIAS INCREASES SAFETY RISKS FOR PEDESTRIANS OF COLOR. 
          SILICON VALLEY MIGHT WANT TO FORCE DRIVERLESS VEHICLES INTO OUR COMMUNITIES, BUT MASSACHUSETTS VOTERS DO NOT. 
          AS BRIDGET SAID, 74% OF MASSACHUSETTS VOTERS OPPOSE DRIVERLESS VEHICLES. 
          ACCORDING TO A POLL THAT WAS CONDUCTED, UH, A FEW MONTHS AGO, WE RELEASED IT IN MARCH. 
          AND THE PUBLIC'S CONCERN ABOUT UNREGULATED TECHNOLOGY FROM AI TO DATA CENTERS ARE GROWING BY THE MINUTE, AS WE SEE ACROSS THE COUNTRY. 
          SO WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO GET THIS RIGHT TO MAKE SURE WORKERS HAVE A SEAT AT THE TABLE, AND THAT THE FUTURE OF TRANSPORTATION IN MASSACHUSETTS IS SHAPED THOUGHTFULLY AND WITH CARE. 
          WE CAN'T RUSH HEAD FIRST INTO EXPERIMENTAL TECHNOLOGY THAT PRESENTS AN ANSWER TO A PROBLEM THAT DOESN'T EXIST. 
          HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DRIVERS ALREADY SERVE OUR COMMUNITIES EVERY DAY, ALONGSIDE THOUSANDS MORE PUBLIC TRANSIT AND OTHER DRIVERS LIKE THE TEAMSTERS AND MY A TU BROTHERS AND SISTERS, CITIES LIKE SAN FRANCISCO AND PHOENIX, WHICH DO NOT HAVE A CHANCE TO CREATE GUARDRAILS. 
          THEY THEY DID NOT HAVE A CHANCE TO CREATE ANY GUARDRAILS. 
          UH, AT THIS MOMENT ARE STRUGGLING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO DEAL WITH THE RECKLESS POLICIES AND CONDUCT OF WAYMO'S. 
          THERE'S TOO MANY INCIDENTS TO NAME AS MY COLLEAGUES HAVE DONE, SO WE SHOULD NOT FOLLOW IN THAT PATH. 
          WE CAN CHART A DIFFERENT COURSE. 
          WE URGE THIS COMMITTEE TO PUT THE BRAKES ON WAYMO. 
          WE URGE THIS COMMITTEE TO KEEP STANDING UP FOR WORKERS AND OUR COMMUNITIES AS YOU'VE DONE SO MANY TIMES, SO THAT WE DO NOT NEED TO PLAY CATCH UP AND TRY TO ADDRESS CONSEQUENCES ONCE THE CAT IS OUT OF THE BAG AND IT'S TOO LATE. 
          THANK YOU. 
          WELL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. 
          UM, I WOULD LIKE TO JUST KNOW FOR THE RECORD THAT COUNTS THAT KATHY ZUI HAS JOINED US. 
          AND, UH, SCOTT, WILL YOU BE, UH, GIVING US A FEW WORDS? UH, YES. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UH, OKAY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          I'M LIKE, THIS IS A WEIRD SPOT. 
          . 
          UH, GOOD AFTERNOON. 
          MY NAME IS, UH, SCOTT PAGE. 
          I'M HERE TODAY FROM THE BOSTON CARMENS UNION. 
          UH, I'M SPEAKING TODAY ON BEHALF OF OUR PRESIDENT, JAMES EVERS JR. 
          AND THE NEARLY 7,000 UNION BROTHERS, SISTERS, AND SIBLINGS WHO OPERATE AND MAINTAIN THE BUSES, TRAINS, AND STREET CARS OF THE MBTA FOR 123 YEARS. 
          OUR LOCAL HAS PROUDLY MOVED THE PEOPLE OF THIS REGION WITH A KEEN EYE FOR SAFETY, BOTH ON OUR VEHICLES AND IN THE COMMUNITIES WE SERVE. 
          MUCH OF THE WORK THAT OUR MEMBERS DO GOES FAR BEYOND THE TASK OF MOVING A VEHICLE. 
          TRANSIT WORKERS ACT AS AMBASSADORS TO THE REGION, ASSIST THOSE WHO NEED EXTRA HELP USING PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION, SERVE AS THE FIRST POINT OF CONTACT DURING AN EMERGENCY SITUATION, AND TROUBLESHOOT MECHANICAL ISSUES THAT ARISE IN THE COURSE OF NORMAL OPERATIONS. 
          A QUICK SEARCH OF LOCAL NEWS STORIES WILL SHOW YOU THAT TRANSIT WORKERS HAVE ROUTINELY, UH, RECOVERED LOST VALUABLES, REUNITED MISSING CHILDREN AND ELDERLY PEOPLE WITH THEIR LOVED ONES. 
          UH, IN ONE CASE IN LYNN, UH, PARKED A BUS, UH, ON THEIR ROUTE WHEN THEY NOTICED THAT A HOUSE ON THEIR ROUTE WAS ON FIRE, UH, AND PUT OUT THE FIRE WITH THE BUS'S EXTINGUISHER, UM, AND ROUTINELY PREVENT OR TRY TO REDUCE THE LIKELIHOOD OF CRIME, INJURY AND DAMAGE TO PERSONAL PROPERTY BY TAKING PROACTIVE STEPS TO ENSURE THAT PEOPLE ARE SAFE. 
          WE'RE GATHERING HERE TODAY TO TALK ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT BIG TECH CAN DELIVER A VEHICLE THAT DRIVES ITSELF, BUT WE MUST ALSO EQUALLY RAISE OUR VOICES TO DEFEND THE EFFORTS OF TRANSIT WORKERS AND THE IMPORTANCE OF THE HUMANITY THEY BRING TO THE ART OF MOVING PEOPLE. 
          AVS IN THEIR CURRENT 
          [00:35:01]
STATE ARE NOT PREPARED TO DEAL WITH THE UNPREDICTABLE, UH, SITUATIONS THAT MEMBERS OF LOCAL 5 89 AND OTHER, UH, TRANSIT UNIONS, UH, FACE ON, ON, ON, YOU KNOW, A REGULAR BASIS. 
          MORE IMPORTANTLY, ROBO TAXIS, UH, AND SELF PILOTED VEHICLES ARE INCAPABLE OF DEVELOPING A RELATIONSHIP, UH, WITH THE COMMUNITIES THAT THEY SERVE, OUR MEMBERS OF THE BEDROCK OF THE COMMUNITIES WE LIVE IN. 
          AND OUR SYSTEM WORKS SO WELL BECAUSE WE ARE THAT COMMUNITY. 
          MY UNDERSTANDING, MR. CHAIRMAN, IS THAT YOUR, UH, FATHER, I BELIEVE WAS MY GRANDFATHER, WAS THE BUS DRIVER HERE IN CAMBRIDGE. 
          AND WHEN YOU SPEAK OF THE ART OF MOVING PEOPLE, I'M REMINDED OF THE MANY STORIES OF MY GRANDFATHER THAT I LEARNED WHO WOULD STOP HIS BUS TO BRING A NEIGHBOR'S, UH, TRASH CANS IN. 
          SO, UH, IT'S LEGEND. 
          IT'S BEEN GOING ON FOR MANY, MANY YEARS, SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE. 
          THANK YOU. 
          AND, AND ON A POINT OF PERSONAL PRIVILEGE, I'M SO HONORED TO BE CONTINUING, UH, FOR THE FAMILIES WE SERVE NOW, WHAT HE HELPED CREATE. 
          SO THANK YOU. 
          OH, I'M HONORED BY YOUR, YOUR JOINING US HERE TODAY. 
          UM, THANK YOU. 
          SO, LIKE I SAID, WE ARE THE BEDROCK OF THE COMMUNITIES THAT WE SERVE, AND WE SHOULD BE VERY SKEPTICAL ABOUT USING WAYMO OR ANY OTHER BIG TECH FIRMS PRO PROPRIETARY AND SELF-REPORTED DATA. 
          UH, WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT SAFETY AND WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT SERVICE, I THINK RATHER THAN SPENDING OUR SCARCE RESOURCES, WHETHER IT'S IN CAMBRIDGE, BOSTON, OR THE STATE, SPENDING THEM ON BEING A TEST LABORATORY FOR BIG TECH, WE SHOULD INSTEAD INVEST IN OUR WELL-TESTED, UH, AND EFFICIENT PUBLIC TRANSIT SYSTEM AND CONTINUE INVESTING IN THE PEOPLE WHO MAKE IT RUN. 
          I THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH. 
          AND, UH, WE'LL HAVE ABAZI ER WHO WILL TELL US ABOUT, UH, THE IMPACT ON REAL PEOPLE'S LIVES. 
          ABSOLUTELY. 
          THANK YOU, CHAIRMAN. 
          UH, GOOD AFTERNOON. 
          MY NAME IS ABAZI SAMANTHA AND I COME HERE TODAY AS A RIGHT SHARED DRIVER, FATHER OF EIGHT, A CAMBRIDGE RESIDENT TO ASK YOU TO REJECT WAYMO. 
          I HAVE BEEN DRIVING IN BOSTON AREA FOR ABOUT 20 YEARS, NINE YEARS IN A TAXI AND 11 YEARS WITH UBER. 
          I USED TO DRIVE A CAB, BUT I LOST MY BUSINESS TO UBER. 
          I ADAPT, MOVE FORWARD AND START DRIVING FOR UBER. 
          NOW I'M WATCHING WAYMO TAKE OVER THE SAME WAY UBER DID. 
          IT FEELS LIKE EVERY TIME I ADJUST TO A NEW REALITY, ANOTHER TECHNOLOGY COMES ALONG AND THREATEN MY LIVELIHOOD. 
          FIRST IT WAS AN UBER, NOW IT IS SELF-DRIVING CARS. 
          MY QUESTION IS, HOW MANY TIMES MUST THE HARDWORKING DRIVER START OVER JUST TO SURVIVE? WE ARE NOT JUST DRIVERS, WE ARE PEOPLE WITH FAMILIES TO FEED, BILLS, TO PAY AND DREAMS TO PURSUE. 
          TECHNOLOGY MAY BE THE FUTURE. 
          BUT WHAT HAPPENS TODAY, WHAT HAPPENS TO THE PEOPLE WHO BUILD THEIR LIVES AROUND DRIVING WAYMO THAT DOES NOT JUST THREATEN OUR JOBS? IT THREATENS THE SUPPORT NETWORK THAT REAL HUMAN DRIVERS PROVIDE EVERY DAY. 
          WE OFFER CONNECTION, COMPASSION, AND HELP THAT NO ROBOT CAN REPLICATE. 
          WE HELP PASSENGERS TO GET TO AND FROM HOSPITALS AND TO THEIR DOCTOR'S APPOINTMENTS. 
          WE HELP ELDERS AND DISABLED PASSENGERS GET IN AND GET IN AND OUT OF VEHICLES AND TO THEIR FRONT DOORS AND FOLD AND PUT THEIR WHEELCHAIRS AWAY. 
          WE MAKE SURE WOMEN PASSENGERS GET HOME SAFELY. 
          ROBO TAXI DON'T PAY TAXES. 
          THEY DON'T RAISE FAMILIES HERE. 
          THEY DON'T MAKE JUDGMENT CALLS WHEN SOMEONE IS IN TROUBLE. 
          THIS IS NOT ABOUT PUBLIC SAFETY. 
          IT'S ABOUT PROFIT THAT GOES STRAIGHT TO SILICON VALLEY. 
          WE MOVE MOUNTAINS TO WIN OUR UNION SO WE CAN MAKE OUR JOBS BETTER. 
          WE ARE AT THE BARGAINING TABLE RIGHT NOW, NEGOTIATING THE FAIREST EVER CONTRACT FOR RIDE SHARE DRIVERS. 
          THAT'S A REAL PROGRESS. 
          SO I'M ASKING YOU TODAY, DON'T ERASE, DON'T REPLACE US WITH ROBOTS. 
          AND THE EXACT MOMENT WE ARE TRANSFORMING THIS INDUSTRY FOR THE BETTER. 
          I SURVIVED THE TRANSITION FROM TAXI TO UBER. 
          NOW I'M FACING THE TRANSITION FROM UBER TO WAYMO. 
          MY STORE IS NOT JUST ABOUT CARS OR TECHNOLOGY, IT'S ABOUT SURVIVAL, DIGNITY, AND THE STRUGGLE OF THE WORKING CLASS. 
          PROGRESS SHOULD NOT MEAN LEAVING HARDWORKING PEOPLE BEHIND. 
          WE DESERVE FAIR CHANCE TO ADAPT, EARN LIVING, AND SUPPORT OUR FAMILIES. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH. 
          AND, UH, DO WE HAVE ANYBODY ELSE? YES, ME. 
          I'M THE, OH, DARLENE, WILL YOU BE? YES. 
          OKAY, PLEASE, . 
          THANK YOU. 
          SO 
          [00:40:01]
GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYONE. 
          MY NAME IS DARLENE LOBOS AND I'M THE PRESIDENT OF THE GREATER BOSTON LABOR COUNCIL, A-F-L-C-I-O. 
          WE REPRESENT OVER A HUNDRED THOUSAND UNION MEMBERS AND THEIR FAMILIES, UM, IN THE REGION, INCLUDING THE CITY OF CAMBRIDGE. 
          ON BEHALF OF ALL OF US HERE TODAY, LABOR UNITED AGAINST WAYMO, UM, WE WOULD LIKE TO THANK CO-CHAIRS, COUNCILOR FLAHERTY AND COUNCILOR ZE AND THE REST OF THE TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMITTEE FOR INVITING US TO SHARE OUR CONCERNS ABOUT DRIVERLESS CARS. 
          WHILE THE LABOR MOVEMENT HAS ALWAYS FOUGHT FOR A TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM THAT IS AFFORDABLE AND ACCESSIBLE AND SERVES THE PUBLIC GOOD, WE HAVE HAD TO IN MASSACHUSETTS AND BOSTON THE LAST, IN THE LAST YEAR, ALSO BEEN ADVOCATING TO ENSURE THAT NEW TECHNOLOGIES THAT MAY BE USED TO BUILD OUR TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM ARE SHAPED WITH US, NOT AT OUR EXPENSE WHEN IT COMES TO ROBO TAXIS AND DRIVERLESS CARS IN MASSACHUSETTS. 
          WE ARE URGING CITY AND STATE LEADERS TO TAKE THE TIME TO UNDERSTAND THIS TECHNOLOGY THAT OTHER CITIES AND STATES ACROSS THE COUNTRY HAVE NOT, DID NOT DO. 
          NUMBER ONE, WE NEED YOU TO STUDY THE TRAFFIC AND SAFETY IMPACTS BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE. 
          AND CAMBRIDGE ENDS UP WITH DRIVERLESS CARS GOING THROUGH ACTIVE CRIME SCENES OR THROUGH HIGHWAY CONSTRUCTION ZONES LIKE IN ATLANTA. 
          NUMBER TWO, WE WANT YOU TO GIVE LOCAL WORKERS, SMALL BUSINESSES AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS A SEAT AT THE TABLE AND THE POWER TO GUIDE DISCUSSIONS AND DECISIONS. 
          SO CAMBRIDGE IS NOT LEFT SCRAMBLING TO ADDRESS ISSUES RAISED FROM A VARIETY OF STAKEHOLDERS WHO ARE ALREADY DEALING WITH DRIVERLESS CARS, INABILITY TO WORK PROPERLY IN EXTREME WEATHER, AND DEAL WITH FLASHLIGHT FLASH FLOODS LIKE IN SAN ANTONIO AND OTHER CITIES IN TEXAS. 
          AND NUMBER THREE, CREATE REAL HUMAN CENTERED GUARDRAILS THAT PRIORITIZE WORKERS, RESIDENTS, AND PUBLIC SAFETY OVER CORPORATE PROFITS SO THAT CAMBRIDGE DOESN'T HAVE TO BACKTRACK TO ADDRESS THESE BASIC CONCERNS LIKE WHAT HAS BEEN HAPPENING IN SAN FRANCISCO. 
          THINK ABOUT IT THIS WAY. 
          IN THE 1970S, WE SPRAYED ASBESTOS EVERYWHERE FROM SCHOOLS TO OFFICES AND HOMES, ALL BECAUSE INDUSTRY ASSURED US IT WAS INNOVATIVE AND SAFE. 
          NO ONE ASKED HARD QUESTIONS. 
          AND DECADES LATER, WE'RE STILL PAYING THE PRICE, CLEANING IT UP, AND DEALING WITH THE HARM. 
          WE CANNOT LET AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES, DRIVERLESS CARS, ROBO TAXIS BECOME THE NEW SPRAY AND PREY TECHNOLOGY. 
          WE CAN'T LET ROBO TAXIS LOSE LOOSE ON OUR STREETS WILLY-NILLY WITHOUT FIRST UNDERSTANDING THE IMMEDIATE AND LONG-TERM CONSEQUENCES. 
          SO TODAY YOU'VE HEARD FROM OUR UNION LEADERS AND DRIVERS, AND YOU'LL HEAR FROM MORE ABOUT THE IMPACTS. 
          AND WE WANT YOU TO REMEMBER THAT DRIVERLESS CARS ARE JUST ONE FACET OF A MUCH BROADER CONVERSATION ABOUT THE FUTURE OF WORK, HOW WE WANT TO BUILD OUR CITIES AND A REAL TEST TO OUR DEMOCRACY. 
          WE KNOW AI AND ALGORITHMIC MANAGEMENT AND OTHER TECHNOLOGY COMPANIES WANT TO CONCENTRATE POWER AND DECISION MAKING AT THE TOP TO MAXIMIZE PROFITS. 
          BUT THE LABOR MOVEMENT IS SENDING A STRONG MESSAGE TODAY THAT THAT OUTCOME IS NOT AN INEVITABILITY. 
          WE CAN BUILD A FUTURE WHERE TECHNOLOGY ENHANCES HUMAN WORK, NOT REPLACES US WHERE PEOPLE ARE DECISION MAKERS, NOT DATA POINTS. 
          THANK YOU AGAIN FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE PART OF THE CONVERSATION TODAY AND LOOK FORWARD TO OUR CONTINUED PARTNERSHIP. 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH. 
          AND, UM, IF THERE'S ANYONE ELSE FROM THE CITY WHO WOULD LIKE TO SAY A FEW WORDS, UM, SO EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TANNER HOUSE, PLEASE. 
          THANK YOU. 
          HELLO. 
          OKAY, THERE WE GO. 
          THAT'S BETTER. 
          MY NAME'S RACHEL TANNIN HOUSE. 
          SHE HER HERS. 
          I'M THE A DA COORDINATOR FOR THE CITY OF CAMBRIDGE AND THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE CAMBRIDGE COMMISSION FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES. 
          UM, I AM HERE TO TALK SPECIFICALLY ABOUT HOW WAYMO WOULD IMPACT PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES. 
          UM, FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE WAITING FOR ME TO COME DOWN SOLIDLY ON ONE SIDE OR THE OTHER, I'M GOING TO DISAPPOINT YOU ALL DAY LONG BECAUSE IT'S COMPLICATED. 
          UM, I AM DEFINITELY NOT HERE TO GO UP AGAINST THE UNIONS. 
          IN MY PREVIOUS JOB, I WAS A PROUD UNION STEWARD. 
          UM, AND, UM, I HAVE NOW SOLD OUT AND BECOME MIDDLE MANAGEMENT. 
          BUT I, YOU KNOW, THAT DOES NOT MEAN THAT I DO NOT, THAT I DON'T STILL CARE ABOUT, ABOUT UNION ISSUES AND LABOR ISSUES. 
          UM, SO THERE ARE GOOD ASPECTS AND BAD ASPECTS ABOUT WAYMO FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES AND OLDER ADULTS. 
          [00:45:01]
AND I'M GONNA START WITH THE GOOD PART, BUT I WILL GET TO THE BAD PART. 
          UM, THE GOOD PART IS THAT FOR FOLKS LIKE ME WHO ARE BLIND, UM, AND FOR FOLKS WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES, AND THERE ARE A NUMBER OF OTHER, UH, FOLKS WITH DISABILITIES, THIS IS A GAME CHANGER, RIGHT? THIS IS ABSOLUTELY, UM, A KEY TO INDEPENDENCE FOR A LOT OF US WHO HAVE DISABILITIES THAT IMPACT OUR ABILITY TO USE TO, TO DRIVE, TO USE SPECIFIC, UH, KINDS OF TRANSPORTATION, TO TELL WHERE WE ARE AT A GIVEN TIME, BASICALLY TO OUR, OUR ORIENTATION AND MOBILITY. 
          UM, AND SO I THINK THAT THAT IS SOMETHING THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY IN, IN THE BLIND COMMUNITY, SUCH AS IT IS, BECAUSE GOD KNOWS IT DOESN'T ALL AGREE WITH EACH OTHER, WITH EACH OTHER. 
          YOU HAVE NO IDEA. 
          UM, THE, UH, YOU KNOW, I THINK THERE IS A LOT OF PUSH FOR THIS BECAUSE THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY WE HAVE NEVER HAD BEFORE. 
          UM, ALSO SPEAKING AS SOMEONE WHO IN MY REAL LIFE USES A SERVICE DOG, I'M CURRENTLY BETWEEN SERVICE DOGS, THANKS, I HATE IT. 
          UM, AND, UM, HAVE BEEN IN MY 21 YEARS OF USING SERVICE DOGS HAVE BEEN DISCRIMINATED AGAINST MORE TIMES THAN I CAN COUNT IN MY USE OF RIDE SHARES AND TAXIS. 
          AGAIN, YOU KNOW, HASHTAG NOT ALL DRIVERS. 
          I ABSOLUTELY UNDERSTAND THAT. 
          UM, BUT IT HAS HAPPENED A LOT. 
          I HAVE HAD THE POLICE CALLED ON ME MULTIPLE TIMES, AND IT WASN'T BECAUSE I WAS PARTYING TOO HARD. 
          I HAVE HAD PEOPLE, UH, DRIVE OFF WHILE I WAS HANGING ONTO THEIR CAR. 
          I'VE HAD TO RETIRE A REALLY, REALLY GOOD KAI DOG EARLY BECAUSE SHE EXPERIENCED SUCH STRESS FROM THE NUMBER OF TIMES THAT WE WERE DISCRIMINATED AGAINST GETTING INTO RIDE SHARE VEHICLES. 
          AND WHILE I, MYSELF DO NOT PAY FOR MY GUIDE DOGS, I NEED TO TELL YOU THAT IT COSTS $50,000 TO PUT A GUIDE DOG TEAM ON THE ROAD. 
          OKAY? SO MY, UM, UH, MY, MY, MY SAFETY AND MY INDEPENDENCE HAVE BEEN PUT IN DANGER BY THE, BY BY THESE THINGS. 
          A WAYMO IS VERY UNLIKELY TO DISCRIMINATE AGAINST ME FOR HAVING A SERVICE DOG, BECAUSE THERE WILL BE NO PERSON IN IT TO DO THAT. 
          I'M NOT SAYING IT CAN'T HAPPEN, I'M SAYING IT'S LESS LIKELY TO HAPPEN. 
          YES, I RECOGNIZE EVERYTHING I JUST DESCRIBED IS COMPLETELY ILLEGAL. 
          IT HAPPENS ALL THE TIME. 
          I DON'T KNOW A SINGLE, THE ONLY SERVICE DOG HANDLERS I KNOW WHO HAVEN'T HAD THAT HAPPEN, HAVEN'T HAD IT HAPPEN BECAUSE THEY ARE AFRAID TO TAKE RIDE SHARES AND TAXIS. 
          UM, I AM NOT TRYING TO RAG ON THE INDUSTRY. 
          I'M TELLING YOU THE REALITIES OF SOME OF US WHO USE IT. 
          WE CONTINUE TO USE IT ANYWAY IN A LOT OF CASES BECAUSE IT ALSO WAS A GAME CHANGER FOR US. 
          BUT I WOULD, AS I, AS I HAVE SAID TO SEVERAL PEOPLE HERE, I WOULD JUMP INTO A PORTAL TO HELL IF I KNEW THAT IT WOULD SUCCESSFULLY GET ME THERE WITHOUT DISCRIMINATING AGAINST ME, RIGHT? LIKE, AND I, I'M PRETTY LUCKY. 
          I KNOW PEOPLE WHO'VE HAD PEOPLE PUT THEIR HANDS ON THEM AND STUFF LIKE THAT, YOU KNOW, SO IT'S, IT'S A LITTLE ROUGH OUT THERE FOR US. 
          UM, IT GOES, REPUBLIC TRANSIT DOESN'T, AND ALSO IF IT CAN HANDLE WINTER WEATHER, THAT'S A BIG, IF I DON'T KNOW THAT IT CAN, THAT'S A BIG DEAL, RIGHT? THAT'S THE GOOD STUFF. 
          I'M GONNA GET TO THE BAD STUFF. 
          NOW, AS FAR AS I KNOW, NOWHERE IN THIS COUNTRY IS WAY MORE OPERATING A WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE VEHICLE. 
          NOWHERE NOW IN THIS CITY, AT THE HEIGHT OF WHEN WE HAD TAXIS, WHICH UNFORTUNATELY THAT SYSTEM HAS BEEN DECIMATED, BUT, UM, WE HAD 257 TAXIS AND EIGHT OF THEM WERE FULLY WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE, AND WE HAD A DEDICATED PHONE LINE WHERE YOU COULD CALL THEM AND RESERVE THEM. 
          THAT IS NO LONGER A SYSTEM THAT WE HAVE IN THIS CITY. 
          SO IF WE PUT THIS, SO WE HERE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO PUT IN YET ANOTHER SYSTEM THAT DETERMINES THAT THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO DON'T GET TO USE IT BECAUSE THEY HAVE DISABILITIES. 
          UM, SO THAT IS NOW WHAT WAYMO IS DOING ABOUT THIS PARTICULAR SITUATION. 
          THEY'RE KIND OF TALKING PIPE DREAM ABOUT MAYBE SOMEDAY, MAYBE SOMEDAY WORKING ON A WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE VEHICLE. 
          BUT IN THE MEANTIME, THEY'RE VERY EXCITED TO TELL YOU THAT THEY ARE TAPPING INTO EXISTING NETWORKS OF WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE VEHICLES, WHICH MEANS THEY'RE BASICALLY DOING WHAT UBER AND LYFT DO, AND USING THE SAME RESOURCES THAT UBER AND LYFT USE, LIKE TAPPING INTO THE VERY FEW WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE VEHICLES THAT HAVE TO SERVE THE WHOLE AREA. 
          THAT YOU HAVE TO WAIT A VERY LONG TIME FOR, OFTEN IN DIFFICULT WEATHER BECAUSE THEY MAY NOT BE COMING FROM WHERE YOU ARE. 
          'CAUSE THERE JUST AREN'T THAT MANY OF THEM. 
          UM, ALSO, IF WAYMO IS IN FACT, SAFER, AND I AM NOT SAYING THAT IT IS, SO EVERYBODY CHILL, BUT 
          [00:50:01]
IF IT IS IN FACT AS SAFE, AS MUCH SAFER AS THEY CLAIM THAT IT IS, THEN WHY DO PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES GET THAT SAFETY? AND PEOPLE WI WHO USE WHEELCHAIRS AND REQUIRE WHEELCHAIR, WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE VEHICLES DON'T RATE THAT KIND OF SAFETY. 
          LIKE WHAT IS, WHY ARE, WHY ARE WE MAKING THAT KIND OF DIVISION? WHY IS IT OKAY TO SAY, ALL RIGHT, WELL, YOU GET TO USE THE OTHER STUFF THAT WE CLAIM WE'RE BETTER THAN. 
          UM, NOW WAYMO IS PRETTY, IS PRETTY SHREWD ABOUT THIS. 
          THEY GIVE MONEY TO A LOT OF DISABILITY RELATED ORGANIZATIONS, PARTICULARLY ORGANIZATIONS SERVING BLIND FOLKS AND FOLKS WITH, UH, INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES. 
          AND, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT MAKES SENSE BECAUSE THOSE ARE POPULATIONS, IMPORTANT POPULATIONS THAT REALLY CAN BENEFIT FROM, FROM WAYMO'S EXISTENCE. 
          BUT I DON'T THINK THAT THEY HAVE FORGOTTEN WHO THEY HELP AND WHO THEY DON'T. 
          THERE ARE SOME FOLKS WHO WOULD REQUIRE A HUMAN TO GIVE ASSISTANCE, EVEN IF THEY DID COME UP WITH AN ACCESSIBLE VEHICLE WITH A SELF DEPLOYING RAMP, THAT SORT OF THING. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, YOU NEED TO BE ABLE TO SECURE YOUR WHEELCHAIR AND YOU MAY OR MAY NOT BE ABLE TO DO THAT. 
          YOU MAY NEED HELP GETTING LUGGAGE IN THE BACK, THAT KIND OF THING. 
          THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE WITH A LOT OF DIFFERENT KINDS OF DISABILITIES THAT WOULD IN FACT BE, UM, THAT WOULD IN FACT BE EXCLUDED BY THIS TECHNOLOGY. 
          AND ALSO, WHAT IF IT DROPS YOU AT THE WRONG PLACE? AND THAT'S GONNA SOUND KIND OF SILLY. 
          THAT ALSO HAPPENS WITH ALL KINDS OF DRIVERS. 
          THE HUMAN DRIVERS HAVE BEEN KNOWN TO DO THAT TOO. 
          BUT GUESS WHAT, WHEN THEY DO THAT, THERE'S A HUMAN DRIVER THERE. 
          ONCE YOU FIGURE IT OUT, NOW IT TAKES THOSE OF US WHO CAN'T SEE VERY WELL A MINUTE TO FIGURE OUT WE'RE IN THE WRONG PLACE. 
          BUT WITH SOME OF THESE OTHER SERVICES, THERE IS SOMEBODY WE CAN CALL. 
          LIKE, THERE IS A THING WE CAN DO. 
          WE ARE NOT LEFT IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE. 
          LIKEWISE, FOLKS WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES MIGHT HAVE THE SAME ISSUE. 
          IT MIGHT TAKE THEM A MINUTE TO TELL, THIS IS NOT WHERE I'M MEANT TO GO. 
          AND THEY'RE VERY VULNERABLE ONCE THEY GET THERE. 
          YOU COULD BE DROPPED IN A PLACE THAT YOU CAN'T NAVIGATE. 
          IT COULD BE DARK, IT COULD BE FREEZING, IT COULD BE A, IT COULD BE DANGEROUS FOR ANY NUMBER OF REASONS. 
          I NEED TO KNOW THAT I'M GONNA BE ABLE TO REACH SOMEBODY WHO CAN GET ME OUT OF THERE. 
          UM, SO IF THERE'S NO HUMAN, THAT'S A PROBLEM. 
          THERE USED TO BE A BUG WITH, UM, THERE USED TO BE A BUG IN, UH, AUTOMATED DRIVE DRIVING, UH, AUTOMATED VEHICLES. 
          AND I DON'T KNOW IF THEY HAVE GOTTEN RID OF IT. 
          THIS WAS SEVERAL YEARS AGO. 
          SO, YOU KNOW, THAT'S CENTURIES IN TECHNOLOGY TIME. 
          BUT LIKE, WE'RE BASICALLY HAD THIS IDEA OF WHAT A HUMAN LOOKED LIKE. 
          AND YOU ALLUDED TO THAT EARLIER WITH TALKING ABOUT HOW LIKE IT THINKS WHITE PEOPLE ARE PEOPLE AND EVERYBODY ELSE THAT'S NOT SO SURE ABOUT. 
          UM, ALSO, PEOPLE WHO ARE STANDING ARE PEOPLE. 
          AND IF YOU ARE TRAVERSING THE STREET IN A SEATED POSITION IN A WHEELCHAIR FOR A LONG TIME, IT DIDN'T REGISTER YOU AS A HUMAN OBSTACLE, WHICH IT WOULD PRIORITIZE AS SOMETHING IT DEFINITELY SHOULD NOT HIT. 
          I DON'T KNOW IF THEY HAVE FIXED THAT YET. 
          I NEED ASSURANCES THAT THEY HAVE. 
          UM, OTHERWISE THAT'S A DEAL BREAKER, RIGHT? LIKE THAT'S ABSOLUTELY A DEAL BREAKER. 
          ALSO, IF THERE IS SOMETHING I NEED TO BE ABLE TO ACCESS WHEN I GET INTO THE VEHICLE, UH, YOU KNOW, IS IF THERE IS A CONTROL, IF THERE'S A BUTTON YOU NEED TO PUSH IF IT TO, TO, LIKE, IF THERE'S SOMETHING LIKE MAYBE NOT, MAYBE YOU JUST GET IN AND EVERYTHING MAGICALLY HAPPENS. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, BUT IF THERE IS SOMETHING YOU NEED TO BE ABLE TO DO TO INDICATE SOMETHING, I NEED TO KNOW THOSE CONTROLS ARE ACCESSIBLE TO THOSE OF US WHO CAN'T SEE THEM, THAT THEY'RE USABLE BY PEOPLE WHO CANNOT HEAR THAT THEY'RE USABLE BY PEOPLE WITH LIMITED MOBILITY. 
          I NEED TO KNOW THAT THEY'RE IN FULL COMPLIANCE WITH ALL, UH, WITH ALL OF THE, UH, REQUIREMENTS FOR ACCESSIBLE CONTROLS UNDER, UH, SECTION 5, 5 0 8 OF THE REHABILITATION ACT. 
          UM, EVEN THOUGH IT'S NOT A FEDERAL ENTITY, THAT'S NOT A BAD SET OF RULES TO GO BY. 
          I NEED TO KNOW THAT THEY KNOW WHAT THEY'RE DOING IN TERMS OF MAKING SURE PEOPLE CAN USE THEM. 
          UM, I, LIKE I SAID, FOR ME PERSONALLY, THIS WOULD BE A GAME CHANGER. 
          AND ALSO NO ONE'S FREE TO WAR ALL FREE. 
          I AM UNWILLING TO THROW OTHER PARTS OF THE DISABILITY COMMUNITY UNDER THE METAPHORICAL BUS. 
          OBVIOUSLY THIS IS NOT A BUS, IT IS A WIMO, UM, TO, YOU KNOW, TO GET MY NEEDS MET. 
          WE ALL GOTTA GET THERE TOGETHER. 
          UM, AND I ALSO DON'T WANT TO, I ALSO NOTICE THAT THE PEOPLE WHOSE JOBS IT WOULD TAKE ARE DISPROPORTIONATELY, UM, BIPOC FOLKS WITH OFTEN IMMIGRANTS. 
          UM, AND IF THIS CITY IS GOING TO TALK ABOUT HOW EXCITED IT IS ABOUT RACIAL EQUITY, IT NEEDS TO BE ABLE TO DO MORE THAN SPELL IT. 
          SO, UM, I THINK WE NEED TO KEEP THAT IN MIND TOO. 
          THIS IS NOT JUST A, 
          [00:55:01]
YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT JUST A DISABILITY ISSUE, IT IS AN EQUITY ISSUE OVERALL. 
          SO, AS I SAID, I AM NOT COMING OUT STRONGLY IN FAVOR OF, OF OR AGAINST. 
          I HAVE VERY STRONG ARGUMENTS ON BOTH SIDES. 
          BUT BECAUSE THE DISABILITY PERSPECTIVE IS OFTEN NOT PART OF THE LENS THAT THINGS ARE LOOKED THROUGH, I FEEL LIKE I, I REALLY APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SAY SOMETHING. 
          AND THE LAST THING I WANNA SAY IS THAT IF WE DO WIND UP TALKING ABOUT AUTOMATED DELIVERY PODS, PLEASE TAG ME IN BECAUSE I DO HAVE REALLY STRONG ARGUMENTS AGAINST THOSE. 
          THEY GET INTO FIGHTS WITH PE WITH PEOPLE ABOUT, UH, THE USE OF CURB RAMPS AND THEY WILL PUSH YOU RIGHT OUT IN THE STREET. 
          SO, UM, NO, NOT IN THE CITY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UM, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. 
          AND I'M HAPPY TO, I, I KNOW THIS ISN'T WHEN PEOPLE ANSWER QUESTIONS, BUT IF ANYBODY EVER HAS ANY, I'M AT YOUR SERVICE. 
          THANKS. 
          WELL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. 
          UM, DID JACK OR STEP, DID YOU HAVE PRESENTATIONS? UH, NO. 
          OKAY. 
          SO I THINK, UM, OH, WE'RE GONNA OPEN UP THE PUBLIC COMMENT OR WOULD YOU LIKE TO? ALRIGHT. 
          DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? ALRIGHT, WHY DON'T WE, UH, GO RIGHT AHEAD. 
          DO WE, HOW MANY PEOPLE DO WE HAVE SIGNED UP? THREE PEOPLE. 
          WE HAVE THREE. 
          OKAY. 
          SO, UH, OUR FIRST SPEAKER IS MIKE ORTIZ, RIGHT AT THE PODIUM, MR. ORTIZ. 
          AND THERE'S A BUTTON, UH, TO, UH, ACTIVATE THE, UH, SPEAKER. 
          OKAY. 
          AND THEN LOOK IT UP CLOSER. 
          GOOD AFTERNOON. 
          MY NAME IS MIKE ORTIZ. 
          I AM A MEMBER OF TEAMSTERS LOCAL 25, AND A WASTE DRIVER AT REPUBLIC SERVICES IN THE SUMMER OF 2025. 
          AS YOU REMEMBER, MY COWORKERS AND I WENT ON STRIKE AFTER 81 DAYS. 
          WE WON, WE WON THE STRIKE SECURING HISTORIC WAGES AND THE INCREASES. 
          THIS HAD MADE IT EASIER FOR ME TO PAY MY RENT, BUY GROCERIES, AND SUPPORT MY CHILDREN. 
          BUT NOW, TEAMSTERS FACE A DIFFERENT THREAT. 
          AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES, THE BIG TECH COMPANIES THAT ARE BANKROLLING, THIS WON'T STOP UNTIL THEY'VE AUTOMATED EVERYTHING DRIVING, EVERY DRIVING JOB IN THE STATE. 
          RIGHT NOW, WAYMO IS COMING FOR OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN THE APPS, DRIVERS UNION. 
          PRETTY SOON BIG TECH WILL COME FOR DELIVERY, FREIGHT, SANITATION, PARATRANSIT AND EVERYTHING ELSE. 
          THIS IS, THIS ISN'T ABOUT INNOVATION OR FAILURE TO EMBRACE TECHNOLOGY. 
          THIS IS ABOUT WHO GETS FOOD ON THEIR TABLES, ON THEIR TABLES AND ROOFS OVER THEIR HEAD. 
          WHO GETS TO SURVIVE? I'VE BEEN A PROFESSIONAL EXPERT DRIVER FOR 20 YEARS. 
          THIS IS ALL I EVER KNOWN. 
          I POURED EVERYTHING INTO MY CAREER TO PROVIDE FOR MY FAMILY. 
          WHAT HAPPENS IF MY DRIVE, IF MY JOB DISAPPEARS? WHAT HAPPENS TO COWORKERS IN THEIR FORTIES AND FIFTIES WHO CAN'T FIND ANOTHER JOB WITH THE SAME PAY AND SAME BENEFITS? WHAT HAPPENS TO NEIGHBORHOODS IN CAMBRIDGE THAT THEY RELY ON UNION JOBS TO SURVIVE? WHAT HAPPENS TO OUR ALREADY FRAGILE ECONOMY WHEN FACED WITH SUDDEN LOSS OF A HUNDRED THOUSAND JOBS? WHAT HAPPENS TO SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS IN CAMBRIDGE THAT DEPEND ON THE REVENUE THAT TEAMSTERS AND APP DRIVERS BRING IN EVERY DAY? WHEN YOU REPLACE PEOPLE WITH MACHINES, YOU DON'T JUST ELIMINATE JOBS, YOU CUT HEALTHCARE, PENSION, MORTGAGES, TUITIONS, TOYS FOR CHILDREN DURING THE HOLIDAYS. 
          I URGE YOU TO PROTECT EVERY DRIVER WHO'S WORKING HARD TO SUPPORT THEIR FAMILY. 
          SAY NO TO AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES, SAY NO TO WAYMO BRINGING THEIR AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES TO THE NEIGHBORHOODS AND STREETS OF CAMBRIDGE. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS PELLE POLANCO, FOLLOWED BY KAREEM ABAD. 
          PELLE, PLEASE COME TO THE MIC. 
          YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES. 
          THE TIME IS DISPLAYED ON SCREEN. 
          PLEASE GO AHEAD. 
          GOOD AFTERNOON. 
          MY NAME IS PASO POLANCO. 
          COMING HERE TODAY AS A RIDE SHARE DRIVER, A FATHER, A SON, A GRANDSON THROUGHOUT THIS COMMITTEE TO REJECT LAMO MY OWN SAFETY AS A DRIVER, SECURITY OF, OF, OF, OF PEOPLE THAT, THAT, THAT DO THIS, UH, FOR LIVING EVERY DAY OUT HERE IN CAMBRIDGE, WHICH IS WHAT I DO. 
          UM, I WOULDN'T SEND, I GOT, I GOT TO GO AND TAKE MY MOM AND MY MOTHER, WHICH THEY'RE REALLY OLD. 
          AND MY, MY GRANDMOTHER JUST TURNED 91 AND MY MOM JUST LIKE 65. 
          AND, UH, I GOTTA TAKE THEM EVERY, EVERY OTHER DAY TO THE BRI, TO THERAPY, TO GOD KNOWS HOW MANY APPOINTMENTS. 
          I WOULDN'T SEND THEM ON AWAY MORE. 
          'CAUSE I KNOW, I KNOW THE HARDSHIP THAT TAKES THAT 
          [01:00:01]
TAKE THEM WHERE I KNOW THEY'RE GONNA BE ON A SAFE SPOT, NOT JUST ON A CURB. 
          YOU KNOW, GET OUT. 
          AND DESPITE OF THERE'S PEOPLE OR THE BALL PEOPLE TRY TO H ME AROUND, YOU KNOW, WAIT, I GOT, I GOT SOMEBODY THAT NEED HELP HERE. 
          YOU KNOW, GET, GO AROUND, GET THE WHEELCHAIR, GET HIM OUT. 
          YOU KNOW, PUT THIS ON, ON, ON A SAFE, WHICH WHEELCHAIR, AND GET SOMEBODY FROM THE HOSPITAL TO GO AND TAKE CARE OF THEM. 
          YOU KNOW, I KNOW HOW HARD THIS IS. 
          YOU KNOW, AND, AND I, I DO THIS, UM, I, I NOT ONLY DO IT FOR THEM, BUT I ALSO DO IT FOR OTHER PEOPLE, THE OTHER PASSENGERS, UH, THAT NEED A SPECIAL ASSISTANCE, UM, THAT ROB WON'T BE ABLE TO PROVIDE. 
          UM, AND LIKE I SAID BEFORE, UH, WOULD YOU YOURSELF TRUST A, A FAMILY MEMBER TO A WAYMO? WE ALREADY GOT TOO MANY CARS, TOO MUCH TRAFFIC. 
          WE DON'T NEED NO MORE CONFUSION. 
          WE NEED INVESTMENT IN THE PEOPLE THAT ARE ALREADY DOING THE JOB, IN INVESTMENT IN THE DRIVER THAT WAITED OUTSIDE AN EXTRA MINUTE FOR YOUR DAUGHTER TO GO INSIDE ON A, YOU KNOW, TO SAFETY OF THE OUT OF THEIR HOME AFTER COMING BACK FROM GRADUATION PARTY. 
          WE NEED INVESTMENT IN THE DRIVER THAT HELP YOUR MOTHER OR GRANDMOTHER TO GO INSIDE AND OUT OF THE VEHICLE. 
          WE NEED INVESTMENT ON THAT DRIVER THAT HELP A DISTRESS PERSON WITH IDD TO CALM DOWN AND MAKE SURE THAT THEY GOT HOME SAFE. 
          I KNOW THAT WE ALREADY TALKED ABOUT DISABILITIES, BUT I MYSELF, I'M ALSO A FATHER OF, OF, UH, A, A KID, A SIX YEARS OLD, UH, AUTISTIC KID. 
          AND MR. POLANCO, APOLOGIES, YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED. 
          IF WE CAN WRAP UP. 
          YEAH, AND LIKE I SAID BEFORE, I WOULDN'T PUT MY KID IN ONE OF THOSE WAY MORE ROBOTS. 
          'CAUSE GOD KNOWS WHAT WOULD I DO IF, IF SHE GETS DROPPED IN THE WRONG PLACE? THANK YOU VERY MUCH. 
          THANK YOU. 
          OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS KAREEM ABAD. 
          KAREEM, PLEASE GO AHEAD. 
          YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES. 
          HOW HAS NOT JOINED US? MR. CHAIR, THAT IS ALL THAT WERE SIGNED UP TO SPEAK. 
          WELL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH AND I APPRECIATE EVERYBODY'S WORDS, UH, VERY INFORMATIVE. 
          AND I THINK, UH, COUNCILOR NOLAN, UM, HAS A, UH, A QUESTION OR SOME COMMENT, SO PLEASE, COUNCILOR NOLAN. 
          THANK YOU. 
          I WANNA START OUT BY SAYING SO OFTEN, AND I'M REMINDED BY HEARING FROM ONE OF THE DRIVERS THAT DRIVERS PARTICULARLY PUBLIC TRANSIT, ARE THE UNSUNG HEROES IN SO MANY WAYS, AND IN TRANSIT IN GENERAL, WE RELY ON, IN ALL OF OUR LIVES, WE NEED SOME FORM OF TRANSPORTATION. 
          AND IF YOU'RE NOT DRIVING YOURSELF, WHICH HAS BIG ISSUES IN AND OF ITSELF, BUT REALLY THE UNSUNG HEROES WHO ARE THERE, WE SAW IT DURING ANY KIND OF EMERGENCY YOU KNOW, THE BUSES ARE STILL GOING BY MY HOUSE IF THERE'S THREE FEET OF SNOW ON THE GROUND, OR IF IT'S REALLY LATE AT NIGHT AND COLD. 
          SO I JUST, I, I THINK THIS, WE HAVE TO REMIND OURSELVES OF THAT. 
          AND AS, UM, DIRECTOR LOBO SAID, IT'S THE HUMAN CENTERED PART OF, IT'S EASY TO FORGET THAT, BUT WE RELY ON IT SO MUCH FOR ALL DRIVERS. 
          SO I'M APPRECIATIVE OF THAT. 
          AS SOMEONE WHO HAS USED TAXIS AND ALSO UBER AND LYFT, I THINK IT'S VERY SIMILAR. 
          THERE'S SOMEONE THERE, UM, WE RELYING ON FOR CRITICAL PUBLIC SAFETY AND ALSO LIVABILITY. 
          AND I WILL SAY I'M SOMEONE, I THINK THIS WHOLE COUNTS. 
          I WANT MORE TRANSIT. 
          LIKE I WANNA GET RID OF ALL SINGLE OCCUPANCY VEHICLES IN A PUBLIC TRANSIT ACROSS THE CITY. 
          IF WE'RE WORKING ON IT. 
          UM, THE, THE, THE LITANY OF ISSUES, I WILL SAY, LOOK, IN FULL DISCLOSURE, I'M OPEN TO EVENTUALLY HAVING SOMETHING LIKE THIS. 
          BUT THERE ARE SO MANY ISSUES. 
          WE ARE SO NOT ANYWHERE NEAR BEING ABLE TO DO THIS. 
          IT'S NOT JUST PUBLIC SAFETY, IT'S WHAT WE HEARD. 
          IT'S, IS THIS GONNA B******S UP THE ENTIRE CITY? IS THIS GONNA CREATE EVEN MORE EMISSIONS WHEN WE'RE DESPERATELY TRYING TO CHANGE OUR PLANET SO THAT IT'S LITERALLY LIVABLE? IS THIS, YOU KNOW, IS THIS GONNA DECIMATE PUBLIC TRANSIT? SURVEILLANCE IS NOT SOMETHING WE SHOULD TAKE LIGHTLY. 
          THIS IS A MAJOR ISSUE THAT WE'VE ALREADY DEALT WITH IN THIS COUNCIL OFTEN, AND THIS IS WAYMO, WHERE OTHERS ARE LIKELY TO BE NATIONAL COMPANIES THAT DO HAVE RELATIONSHIPS WITH ORGANIZATIONS THAT WE IN THE CITY STAND REALLY FIRMLY TO SAY WE ARE NOT SHARING INFORMATION WITH THEM. 
          THAT'S SUCH ALSO A BIG ISSUE, THE PERSONAL ATTENTION AND SERVICE ABOUT WHETHER IT'S, UM, GETTING YOUR LUGGAGE IN AND OUT, WHICH IS NOT SOMETHING MAYBE A ROBOT CAN DO, OR THE PERSONAL SERVICE OF GETTING. 
          SO THERE ARE JUST SO MANY ISSUES, EVEN IF EVENTUALLY WE CAN SEE THERE, THERE, THERE MAY BE SOME WAY THAT WE NEED TO WORK ON THIS OR THAT IT WILL EVENTUALLY DO SOMETHING THAT WILL, WILL BE PART OF OUR TRANSIT PUZZLE. 
          HOWEVER, EVEN IF AND WHEN THAT HAPPENS, AND THESE ARE MAJOR ISSUES THAT HAVE TO BE SOLVED, THAT HAVE TO BE THOROUGHLY RESEARCHED AND 
          [01:05:01]
SOLIDLY, MAKE SURE THAT THEY DO NOT COMPROMISE OUR WAY OF LIVING. 
          AND WE, WE CANNOT COMPROMISE AT ALL ON THE GOOD JOBS WITH PAY AND WITH BENEFITS THAT, UM, WE'VE HEARD ABOUT HERE AND HERE. 
          SO THAT'S OUR, OUR ENTIRE WAY OF LIFE ALMOST. 
          I MEAN, IT JUST, IT UNIONS KEEP US STRONG. 
          YOU KNOW, WE, WE, WE, WE DON'T HAVE TO GO INTO THAT WHOLE QUESTION ABOUT THE STRONGEST TIME IN THIS COUNTRY WAS WHEN THE UNION, UM, UH, UNION MEMBERSHIP WAS AT ITS HIGHEST. 
          RIGHT NOW. 
          IT'S REALLY, REALLY LOW. 
          WE HAVE TO GET BACK UP THERE. 
          SO THE, THE NUMBER OF GOOD JOBS AND WAS A BIG FIGHT TO EVEN GET, UH, THE UNIONS, WHICH I SUPPORTED THE WHOLE WAY THAT WE CANNOT CONTINUE TO HAVE THESE SUPPOSED GIG WORKERS. 
          NO, THAT JUST DECIMATE FAMILIES. 
          IT DECIMATE COMMUNITIES. 
          WE SEE IT IN OUR CITY ALL THE TIME THAT WE, WE RELY ON PEOPLE HAVING GOOD JOBS SO THAT THEY CAN HELP OUR SMALL BUSINESSES. 
          SO, SO THAT'S WHERE I'M AT IT. 
          WE ARE SO FAR AWAY FROM BEING ABLE TO DO ANYTHING BECAUSE OF THESE ISSUES. 
          AND IN PARTICULAR, I VERY MUCH SUPPORT IN HERE. 
          WE, WE MUST BE, UM, COGNIZANT OF THE IMPACT ON IT. 
          IT CAN'T JUST BE A JOB. 
          IT HAS TO BE A GOOD JOB. 
          IT HAS TO BE A DECENT JOB. 
          IT HAS TO BE ONE THAT PAYS A LIVING WAGE AND CREATES BENEFITS SO THAT PEOPLE DON'T HAVE TO SACRIFICE THINGS. 
          THAT WAS MY STATEMENT. 
          I DO HAVE A QUESTION, WHICH IS, IS THERE ANY KIND OF ASK HERE, BECAUSE MY UNDERSTANDING IS GIVEN THE PRESENTATION FROM COMMISSIONER MCKENNA, IT WOULD BE STATE LEVEL ANYWAY, AND THERE'D BE A LOT OF LOCAL PREEMPTION. 
          SO I, I DON'T THINK WE'RE VOTING ON ANYTHING TODAY, BUT, BUT IT'S UNDERSTANDING THE LANDSCAPE OF WHERE WE ARE. 
          MAKING SURE THAT YOU ALL, THANK YOU FOR COMING HERE AND UNDERSTAND WHERE THE COUNCIL IS ON THIS. 
          BUT I'M CURIOUS AS TO WHETHER THERE'S A SPECIFIC ASK THAT WE'RE GONNA BE, UH, GOING TO, AND, AND I DO HAVE ANOTHER COMMITMENT. 
          I'LL HAVE TO LEAVE THE MEETING AT TWO, BUT I'M HERE FOR ANYBODY WHO WANTS TO FOLLOW UP WITH ANYTHING I'VE SAID, OR, WELL, THANKS FOR THE QUESTION. 
          I DON'T THINK THERE'S A SPECIFIC ASK AT THIS MEETING OTHER THAN TO PAY PARTICULAR ATTENTION TO WAYMO AT THE MOMENT. 
          AND I'M SURE WE'LL BE HAVING A FOLLOW UP AT LEAST, UH, ONE MORE COMMITTEE HEARING TO DISCUSS FURTHER, UM, PROGRESS. 
          IF THERE IS, MAYBE FOR INSTANCE, AND THIS IS ALL HYPOTHETICAL, BUT IF THERE IS MAYBE AN ATTEMPT TO HAVE A TESTING OR PILOT PROGRAM IN THE CITY OF CAMBRIDGE, THEN I THINK IT'S VERY APPROPRIATE THAT WE COME BEFORE, UH, THIS GROUP AND HAVE A, UM, A MORE IN DEPTH, UM, SCRUTINY OF THAT. 
          SO AT THE MOMENT, NO, BUT IN THE FUTURE I WOULD SAY YES. 
          SO, UM, THANK YOU VERY MUCH, COUNCIL. 
          YEAH, THANK YOU. 
          AND AGAIN, ALL THOSE ISSUES ARE SO LARGE. 
          EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM COULD BE SUBJECT TO A TWO HOUR MEETING. 
          EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THOSE CONCERNS. 
          AND THE COMMISSIONER EVEN LAID OUT SOME I DIDN'T EVEN MENTION THAT ARE REALLY IMPORTANT. 
          SO THANK YOU CHAIR FLAHERTY. 
          OKAY, THANK YOU. 
          AND I THINK COUNCIL ZUI MAYBE, UH, WOULD LIKE TO ADDRESS SOME ISSUES. 
          SO PLEASE, YEAH. 
          THANK YOU SO MUCH. 
          CHAIR FLAHERTY. 
          AND I APOLOGIZE FOR BEING A FEW MINUTES LATE. 
          I WAS COMING FROM A DIFFERENT MEETING. 
          UM, I THANK YOU FOR HOSTING THIS MEETING AND FOR ME, IT'S AN INCREDIBLE COUNTERPOINT TO, I LISTEN TO THE MIT'S TRANSPORTATION MOBILITY LECTURES USUALLY ON FRIDAY AT NOON. 
          AND THEY HAVE CONVINCED ME THAT SHARED AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES ARE THE FUTURE. 
          AND AS WE ARE, YOU KNOW, WORKING, WE'RE ENCOURAGING PEOPLE TO WALK, WE'RE ENCOURAGING PEOPLE TO BICYCLE, WE'RE ENCOURAGING PEOPLE TO USE TRANSIT. 
          AND THEN WITH THESE SHARED VEHICLES, THE IDEA IS THAT WE'LL BE LESS DEPENDENT ON CARS IN THE FUTURE AND WILL BE A MORE SUSTAINABLE CITY. 
          SO, UH, AGAIN, I IF, IF YOU WANNA HEAR AN ANOTHER VIEW OF THE FUTURE, LISTEN TO THE MOBILITY FORUM BECAUSE THE TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERS FROM AROUND THE WORLD ARE SAYING THIS IS THE FUTURE SHARED AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES. 
          UM, I WANTED TO SHARE, UM, SO MY HUSBAND IS A TECHIE GUY AND HE, UH, WE TESLA DROVE AND HE PURCHASED, UH, A TESLA AUTOPILOT VEHICLE THIS SUMMER. 
          AND I WILL TELL YOU, WHEN WE WERE TEST DRIVING IT IN BOSTON DURING RUSH HOUR ON A FRIDAY AFTERNOON, NOT SUCH A GREAT IDEA. 
          IT WAS FLAWLESS. 
          IT WAS AMAZING. 
          I WAS ACTUALLY THE PERSON BEHIND THE WHEEL. 
          AND THE ONLY REASON I'M TELLING YOU THIS IS THAT WE'RE ACTUALLY MUCH CLOSER TO THIS REALITY THAN YOU'RE SUGGESTING. 
          THERE ARE, UM, OBSTACLES, THERE ARE CONCERNS ABOUT SNOW, THERE'S STILL CONCERNS ABOUT POTHOLES, BUT IT'S AMAZING HOW QUICKLY, UM, THE TECHNOLOGISTS ARE SOLVING THE PROBLEMS. BUT IT DID A FLAWLESS JOB DRIVING THROUGH BOSTON DURING RUSH HOUR ON A FRIDAY AFTERNOON. 
          UM, AND IT'S DRIVEN US HOME FROM NEW HAMPSHIRE FLAWLESSLY. 
          UH, WE'RE ALWAYS THERE TO TAKE OVER. 
          YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE'RE STILL THERE TO DRIVE IF WE NEED TO, 
          [01:10:01]
BUT, UH, THE TECHNOLOGY IS VERY GOOD. 
          AND SOMETIMES I, I'M, I'M AWARE THAT IF YOU'RE TIRED, MY HUSBAND REALLY WANTED THE CAR 'CAUSE HE GOES HIKING AND IF HE'S DOING LIKE A EIGHT HOUR HIKE COMING BACK FROM NEW HAMPSHIRE, IF HE'S TIRED, HE WANTS TO HAVE A VEHICLE THAT MOSTLY WILL BE IN CHARGE, BUT HE CAN BE THERE IF IT'S NOT IN CHARGE. 
          UH, AND I'M VERY AWARE FOR LIKE ELDERLY PEOPLE, UH, UH, FOR ANYBODY THAT IS, HAS AN ALTERED STATE, BEING IN ONE OF THESE VEHICLES IS FAR SAFER. 
          ANOTHER ADVANTAGE IS, UM, IT DOES, UM, UH, IT DOES NOTICE WHEELCHAIRS, IT DOES NOTICE WALKERS, CYCLISTS, DOGS, AND IT DOESN'T NOTICE PRETTY GIRLS OR HANDSOME MEN. 
          SO DRIVERS AREN'T DISTRACTED BECAUSE IT'S NOTICING ALL OF THOSE THINGS. 
          ANYWAY, I'M AWARE THAT THE TECHNOLOGY ISN'T PERFECT, BUT I JUST WANTED TO MAKE THE POINT. 
          WE ARE CLOSER TO A REFINED TECHNOLOGY THAT HAS BEEN, UM, I THINK PRESENTED. 
          UM, I WILL TELL YOU THAT WE CERTAINLY NEED TO FIND AND MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE OTHER JOBS. 
          AND I'M AWARE OF THE OPPORTUNITIES RIDE SHARING PROVIDES. 
          UM, I KNOW PEOPLE THAT ARE RIDE SHARE DRIVERS AND IT'S ALLOWED THEM TO PAY THEIR, UM, SCHOOL BILLS. 
          UH, IT'S BEEN A VERY IMPORTANT SOURCE OF INCOME. 
          AND ALSO THE FLEXIBILITY WITH THE JOB HAS ALSO BEEN REALLY, REALLY HELPFUL. 
          AND I ALSO JUST WANTED, SO I UNDERSTAND WE NEED TO HAVE JOBS FOR EVERYONE. 
          AND I ALWAYS PREFER A HUMAN TO A MACHINE AND A ROBOT, ESPECIALLY WITH, UM, TELEPHONE CALLS. 
          BUT I APPRECIATE DISHWASHERS AND WASHING MACHINES AND DRYERS AND ROBOT VACUUM CLEANERS. 
          I THINK THEY DO HAVE A PLACE IN OUR LIVES AND TECHNOLOGY. 
          UM, BUT ANYWAY, I GUESS, UH, I I THINK WE, THE FUTURE WILL BE ONE AS AS WE BUILD A MORE SUSTAINABLE FUTURE, ONE THAT EMPHASIZES TRANSIT AND CYCLING AND WALKING AND SHARED VEHICLES. 
          AND, UM, I LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING FROM THE UNIONS ABOUT, I AGREE, YOU SHOULD BE OUR PARTNER IN ALL OF THIS. 
          AND THINKING ABOUT LIKE, IF SHARED VEHICLES ARE THE FUTURE, HOW DO WE MAKE THIS HAPPEN IN A WAY THAT SUPPORTS HUMANS? UH, AND, UH, AND, AND THAT WILL WORK. 
          AND I, I REALIZE THAT THAT WILL BE A, A DANCE, LIKE A, THAT'S A COMPLICATED QUESTION TO SOLVE, BUT I THINK I GET THE FEELING THIS IS THE FUTURE. 
          SO I THINK WE NEED TO WORK TOGETHER AND, UH, COME UP WITH SOME SOLUTIONS, UM, SO THAT THE TECHNOLOGY ISN'T, UM, UH, PUTTING IT, IT'S GONNA CHANGE WORK, BUT, UM, I I THINK WE NEED TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO, TO WORK WITH IT, UH, TO PLAN FOR THE FUTURE. 
          SO, UH, THERE WE GO. 
          THANK YOU KATHY CONSTABLE MCGOVERN. 
          UH, THANK YOU MR. CHAIR, UH, FOR, I'M NOT A MEMBER OF THIS COMMITTEE, SO THANKS FOR LETTING ME CHIME IN. 
          UM, CERTAINLY WANT TO THANK EVERYBODY FOR BEING HERE, UH, TODAY AND FOR PUBLIC COMMENT, UM, LEARNED QUITE A BIT. 
          UM, NEVER HEARD OF DEADHEAD MILES. 
          UM, WOULD'VE THOUGHT THAT WAS A DRIVER ELICITING TO THE GRATEFUL DEAD, WHICH IS PROBLEMATIC IN ITS OWN WAY. 
          UM, BUT THAT'S AN INTERESTING, UH, AN AN INTERESTING, UH, POINT. 
          UM, BUT I WAS THINKING OF SOMETHING THAT, UM, MS. WEINTRAUB SAID ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHAT IS THE PROBLEM WE'RE TRYING TO SOLVE HERE? RIGHT? AND, AND I DO WONDER, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT, UM, YOU KNOW, TRAFFIC OR MOBILITY, AND THERE ARE SOME, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE SOME, SOME, I THINK SOME, SOME POINTS WHERE, UM, HAVING A SELF-DRIVING CAR MAY BE USEFUL FOR SOMEONE ON IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR, IF YOU'RE THINKING OF SOMEONE WHO'S OLDER, WHO, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, I THINK ABOUT WHEN MY GRANDPARENTS WERE ALIVE AND, YOU KNOW, THEY, THEY SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN DRIVING. 
          UM, SO THAT'S, YOU KNOW, THAT'S, YOU KNOW, THAT'S, THAT'S NOT INSIGNIFICANT. 
          UM, BUT A CAR ON THE ROAD IS A CAR ON THE ROAD, RIGHT? AND, AND SO, YOU KNOW, WHETHER SOMEONE'S DRIVING IT OR IT'S DRIVING HIMSELF, IT'S NOT SOLVING OUR TRAFFIC PROBLEM. 
          IT'S NOT, YOU KNOW, IT'S STILL GONNA BE, IT'S STILL A VEHICLE ON THE ROAD. 
          AND IF WE REALLY WANT TO DEAL WITH THAT, THE, THAT'S ABOUT PUBLIC TRANSIT. 
          UM, IT'S ABOUT BUSES, IT'S ABOUT RELIABLE SUBWAY, TRANSPORTATION. 
          IT'S ABOUT GETTING PEOPLE OUTTA CARS AND ONTO BIKES IF YOU KNOW THOSE WHO CAN, THAT'S GONNA REDUCE CARS, YOU KNOW, ON THE ROAD. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, I JUST, I I KNOW IT'S, IT'S EASY TO 
          [01:15:01]
GET SEDUCED BY TECHNOLOGY. 
          TECHNOLOGY CAN BE REALLY, UM, CAN BE REALLY GREAT, UM, AND FASCINATING AND MOVING US TOWARDS, YOU KNOW, LIVING THE, THE JETSONS, YOU KNOW, FUTURE. 
          UM, BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT IT'S ALWAYS GOOD, RIGHT? AND THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT, UM, THERE AREN'T CONSEQUENCES TO THAT. 
          AND SO I AM REALLY CONCERNED ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THE LOSS OF, OF JOBS FOR PEOPLE. 
          UM, THE, YOU KNOW, UM, MR. SALMONIER WHO TALKED ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WAS A TAXI DRIVER, TAXIS KIND OF, YOU KNOW, UBER CAME ALONG AND KILLED THAT INDUSTRY, BUT YOU WERE ABLE TO SWITCH TO DRIVING UBER. 
          YOU'RE NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO SWITCH TO DRIVING AN AUTONOMOUS CAR BECAUSE IT'S AN AUTONOMOUS CAR. 
          AND WE'RE ALWAYS SO QUICK WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT WORKING CLASS JOBS, WE'RE ALWAYS SO QUICK TO SAY, OH, THEY CAN JUST GET RETRAINED OR WE'LL JUST HAVE THEM DO SOMETHING ELSE. 
          AND I, AND I JUST, YOU KNOW, WHY WE, YOU KNOW, WHEN IT'S WORKING CLASS PEOPLE WE'RE SO QUICK TO JUST SAY, OH, JUST HAVE THEM DO SOMETHING, SOMETHING DIFFERENT. 
          BUT, AND THAT ALWAYS CONCERNS ME BECAUSE THAT I THINK IS A CLASS ISSUE. 
          UM, AND THAT'S NOT EASY TO DO, NOR SHOULD, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE BE FORCED INTO THAT. 
          SO, YOU KNOW, I THINK I AGREE WITH THE, THAT, THAT IT'S A HARD WAVE TO STOP AND I DON'T THINK WE NECESSARILY CAN. 
          UM, BUT I DO, YOU KNOW, WE, A COUPLE MONTHS AGO, WE ALL, MOST OF US SAT IN HERE WHEN THE, UM, CENTRAL SQUARE, UH, THEATER DID THEIR REENACTMENT OF THE SUMMER, UH, CITY COUNCIL MEETING WHERE THEY WERE DISCUSSING DNA RESEARCH, RIGHT? WHICH WAS CUTTING EDGE AND NEW AND THE NEW TECHNOLOGY. 
          AND SOME PEOPLE LIKED IT AND SOME PEOPLE DIDN'T. 
          AND ALTHOUGH CAMBRIDGE, YOU KNOW, COULD, CAN'T SORT OF STOP IT ON A NATIONAL LEVEL, IT WAS CAMBRIDGE THAT SET UP THE REGULATIONS THAT GUIDED THAT ENTIRE INDUSTRY FOR THE COUNTRY. 
          SO THERE IS A ROLE, YOU KNOW, FOR US ON THE LOCAL LEVEL TO HELP, YOU KNOW, GUIDE THOSE LARGER ISSUES THAT, 'CAUSE ULTIMATELY IT IS GONNA HAVE TO HAPPEN AT THE STATE. 
          I MEAN, IF CAMBRIDGE SAYS NO TO WAYMO, BUT SOMERVILLE SAYS YES, AND ARLINGTON SAYS NO, AND SOMEONE ELSE SAYS IT, THAT'S NOT FEASIBLE, RIGHT? SO THIS IS GONNA HAPPEN AT THE STATE, BUT WE DO HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY HERE IN CAMBRIDGE, ESPECIALLY AS THE INNOVATION CAPITAL OF THE CITY, OF THE STATE, UM, TO HELP SHAPE WHAT THOSE REGULATIONS ARE AND MAKE SURE THAT THIS ISN'T, UH, AT THE EXPENSE OF, OF WORKING PEOPLE IN, IN OUR COMMUNITY. 
          SO I THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TESTIMONY AND FOR BEING HERE LOOKING FORWARD, MR. CHAIR, TO YOUR FURTHER, UM, LEADERSHIP ON THIS. 
          AND, UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK, I THINK THE COMMITMENT OF THIS CITY HAS ALWAYS BEEN TO PROTECT WORKING PEOPLE. 
          UM, AND I DON'T ANTICIPATE THAT'S GONNA CHANGE. 
          THANK YOU. 
          WELL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. 
          UM, SO I'D JUST LIKE TO SAY A FEW THINGS AND THEN, UM, WE CAN MOVE ON WITH OUR LIVES FOR THE MOMENT. 
          BUT I AM, UM, NOT OPPOSED TO TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES, OBVIOUSLY LIKE ANYONE HERE, UH, BUT I, I AM, I SEE THE PARALLEL, UM, AND, UM, IN MY VIEW, THE, UM, DESTRUCTION, I THINK IN MANY WAYS OF OUR, UH, SOCIETY BY THE ADVANCEMENT OF, OF SOME TECHNOLOGIES, UH, AND I, AND I THINK OF, UH, SOCIAL MEDIA AND I'M, I'M SPEAKING REALLY ABOUT MY OWN SON AND HIS FRIENDS, AND MANY YOUNG PEOPLE WHO BECOME DEPENDENT ON, SAY FOR INSTANCE, CELL PHONES, DEVICES, AND, UH, THEY DON'T LEARN HOW TO INTERACT WITH ONE ANOTHER, UH, AND WITH PEOPLE, AND THEY USE IT AS A DEFENSE MECHANISM AND THE ISOLATION THAT, UM, THE, THE TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES OF THOSE DEVICES AND SOCIAL MEDIA, UH, THE, THE HARM AND THE DESTRUCTION THAT ALL THAT CAUSES, I, I'M SURE WHEN THIS WAS ALL FIRST DEVELOPED, WE DIDN'T THINK ABOUT ALL OF THESE UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES THAT REALLY HAVE BECOME VERY, VERY HARMFUL IN SOCIETY. 
          AND THERE'S, THERE'S A PARALLEL, UH, IN MY MIND, UH, BETWEEN AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES AND, UH, THE SOCIAL ISOLATION THAT, UM, HAS BEEN, UH, IN MANY WAYS JUST AMPLIFIED BY SOCIAL MEDIA AND DEVICES SUCH AS CELL PHONES. 
          SO I THINK WE NEED TO BE, UH, VERY CAUTIOUS AS WE MOVE FORWARD. 
          I HADN'T THOUGHT ABOUT DEADHEAD, MILES, DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT THAT TERM, AND HADN'T REALLY THOUGHT ABOUT THE CONGESTION THAT COULD BE CAUSED BY A PRIVATE OWNERSHIP OF, UH, AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES. 
          BUT WHAT AN AMAZING THOUGHT THAT IS. 
          WHAT, WHAT AN UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCE IF OUR ALREADY, 
          [01:20:01]
UH, OVERSTRESSED HIGHWAYS AND BYWAYS AND ROADWAYS HERE IN MASSACHUSETTS MIRRORED THAT OF LOS ANGELES OVERNIGHT BECAUSE WE SUDDENLY HAD, UH, AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES DRIVING AROUND RATHER THAN PAYING THE $42 THAT PEOPLE HAVE TO PAY FOR PARKING TO VISIT DOWNTOWN BOSTON. 
          AND I THINK, AGAIN, IN MY OWN LIFE AND THE TRANSPORTATION, UM, OBSTACLES THAT I FACE EVERY DAY, UM, YOU KNOW, MY RESPONSIBILITIES PROFESSIONAL AND PERSONALLY CAUSE ME TO DRIVE ALL AROUND EASTERN MASSACHUSETTS ON A DAILY BASIS. 
          AND IT'S NOT SOMETHING I CHOOSE OR WANT TO DO. 
          I'D LOVE TO BE ABLE TO RIDE A BIKE TO HARVARD SQUARE EVERY DAY IN A TWEED JACKET AND START FOR A, UH, FOR, FOR A MOCHA ON THE WAY AND, AND HAVE HIGH MOUNTED AND HIGHBROW CONVERSATIONS. 
          BUT I CAN'T, IT'S JUST NOT THE REALITY OF MY LIFE. 
          AND, UH, AND I THINK OF JUST TUESDAY MORNING TRYING TO TRAVEL FROM MASS GENERAL HOSPITAL BACK TO CAMBRIDGE CITY HALL AT 9:15 AM TO JOIN OUR DISCUSSION, A VERY IMPORTANT DISCUSSION HERE. 
          AND WHEN I CAME OVER THE, UH, SALT AND PEPPER SHAKER BRIDGE, I ENCOUNTERED CONSTRUCTION AND CHANGED ROADWAYS AND A, UH, AND LARGE TRUCKS WAITING FOR A, UH, FOR THE LIGHT TO, TO MAKE A LEFT HAND TURN. 
          AND I WAS ABLE TO GET AROUND TRAFFIC ON THE RIGHT, IN A VERY SAFE, LAWFUL WAY, UH, TO AVOID SITTING AT THAT RED LIGHT FOR THREE OR FOUR CYCLES THAT WOULD'VE PROHIBITED MY INVOLVEMENT, UM, HERE IN OUR CITY COUNCIL DISCUSSIONS IF I, IF I WERE IN AN AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE THAT HADN'T BEEN ABLE TO MAKE HUMAN CHANGES BASED UPON REAL LIFE ROAD CONDITIONS. 
          UH, AND I THINK, AGAIN, AND I DON'T WANT TO BELABOR THE POINT, I THINK OF THE, UM, YOU KNOW, THE, THE JOBS AND, UM, YOU KNOW, HAVING, UH, EXPERIENCED A LITTLE BIT OF AN UNDERSTANDING THE DIFFICULTIES PEOPLE WENT THROUGH, UH, PUR PURCHASING MEDALLIONS THAT WERE THEN LOST, UH, AND UBER AND LYFT TOOK OVER, AND THEN TO FACE THE, UH, ON THE HORIZON WAYMO, IT'S JUST, IT'S, IT'S MIND BOGGLING TO ME, ESPECIALLY WHEN I CONSIDER MY GRANDFATHER AND THE IMPACT THAT HIS JOB AND HIS INVOLVEMENT IN THE UNION AND BEING A, UH, REALLY A UNION LEADER OF 5 89 AND THE IMPACT THAT HAD IN THE, UH, THE, THE OPPORTUNITIES AFFORDED MY OWN FAMILY. 
          AND I KNOW FOR CERTAIN THAT MY LIFE WOULD BE VERY DIFFERENT WITHOUT THAT, WITHOUT THAT UNION JOB THAT I, I PROBABLY WOULD NEVER HAVE BECOME A LAWYER IN MY OWN LIFE. 
          I WOULDN'T HAVE HAD THE ACADEMIC OPPORTUNITIES THAT WERE PRESENTED TO ME AND, AND JUST THE CHANCES THAT I GOT SIMPLY BECAUSE MY GRANDFATHER, ONE OF HIS JOBS AND HE WORKED TOO, WAS DRIVING A BUS. 
          AND, UM, IT TRANSFORMED MY LIFE. 
          AND, UH, I THINK OF, YOU KNOW, HARDWORKING FAMILIES AND, AND MIDDLE CLASS FAMILIES IN CAMBRIDGE TODAY. 
          UH, AND IT'S A DIFFERENT TIME AND IT'S A DIFFERENT LIFE, BUT I WANT ALL THOSE PEOPLE TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT MY FAMILY HAD, THAT I'VE HAD. 
          AND, UH, BECAUSE OF THAT, I THINK THAT WE'RE GONNA THINK VERY CLOSELY ABOUT THIS. 
          WE'VE GOTTA MONITOR WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE LEGISLATURE, AND I, I NEED TO MAKE, DO SOME RESEARCH MYSELF TO FIND OUT WHAT THE, UH, STANDARDS ARE NOW FOR, UH, TESTING AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES AND PILOT PROGRAMS IN MASSACHUSETTS SO WE CAN MAKE CERTAIN THAT, UH, WE ARE PREPARED TO MAKE INFORMED DECISIONS IF ANY OF THAT, UM, SEEKS TO, UH, CREEP ITS WAY INTO OUR, UH, THOUGHT PROCESS AND DECISION MAKING RESPONSIBILITIES, OBLIGATIONS, AND AUTHORITIES HERE IN THE CITY OF CAMBRIDGE. 
          SO WE'VE GOT A LOT TO TALK ABOUT. 
          AND COUNCILOR SUI HAS SOMETHING, AND COUNCILOR NOLAN ALSO HAS SOMETHING THAT THEY'D LIKE TO ADD TO THE CONVERSATION. 
          SO THE COUNCILOR SUI FOR US. 
          OH, WELL, NOLAN HAS TO LEAVE FIRST, SO SHE'S GONNA CUT THE LINE. 
          YEAH. 
          COUNCIL, NOLAN'S GONNA, COUNCIL SUPER QUICKLY LINE, I THINK EVERYONE HERE ALSO AGREES SOMETHING LIKE THIS IS COMING EVENTUALLY, AND THE WHOLE IDEA IS THAT WE JUST MORALLY CANNOT DO IT WITHOUT THINKING THROUGH AND UNDERSTANDING THE CONSEQUENCES ON ALL OF THE ISSUES THAT WERE OUTLINED. 
          AND AS COUNCILOR MCGOVERN SAID, THE WORKING PEOPLE WHO ARE IN THIS INDUSTRY. 
          SO THAT'S, I MEAN, THAT'S, I KNOW I KIND OF SAID THAT, BUT, AND I KNOW ALL OF YOU UNDERSTAND, AND YET IRRESPONSIBLE, MOVING AHEAD IS NOT SOMETHING WE SHOULD EVER TOLERATE. 
          SO I APOLOGIZE. 
          WELL, YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH. 
          AND BEFORE I LET 
          [01:25:02]
ZUI, UH, SPEAK AGAIN, I, I DID WANNA SAY, ONE OF THE THINGS I FORGOT TO MENTION WAS I, I WANT THANK, UH, EXECUTIVE DE TANNER HOUSE FOR HER COMMENTS BECAUSE MY MOTHER, UM, IT STILL DOES, AND FOR MANY YEARS HAS TAKEN RIDESHARE. 
          AND IT, IT IS A VERY, VERY COMPLICATED WAY TO, UH, NAVIGATE TRANSPORTATION AND TO BE LEFT. 
          AND SHE'S HAD THIS EXPERIENCE NOT BEING PICKED UP AFTER A FUNERAL AND, UM, NOT HAVING A REAL LIVE PERSON, A HUMAN BEING, UH, ANSWER A TELEPHONE CALL FOR HER. 
          AND THIS IS THAT, THAT BECOMES AN EMERGENCY SITUATION, UH, VERY, VERY QUICKLY. 
          SO I APPRECIATE YOUR PERSPECTIVE, AND I, AND I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR, FOR YOUR COMMENTS BECAUSE THAT IS, THAT IS WELL PLACED AND WELL MADE. 
          SO THANK YOU. 
          AND COUNCILOR LUCI, GO AHEAD, PLEASE. 
          I'M SORRY. 
          I, THE POINT I WAS, I'M MAKING IS BASICALLY THE POINT COUNCILOR NOLAN WAS MAKING, BUT WITH DIFFERENT WORDS. 
          SO 21 STATES AS OF TODAY HAVE, UM, FULL SELF-DRIVING. 
          THEY ALLOW FOR FULL SELF-DRIVING VEHICLES. 
          UM, THEY'RE ALL OVER THE PLACE, UH, BUT MOST OF THEM ARE IN THE SOUTH OR PLACES THAT IT'S WARMER WITH LESS SNOW ONLY. 
          WHEN I WAS LOOKING AT A MAP, ONLY NORTH DAKOTA WAS A NORTHERN STATE. 
          WE, YOU KNOW, YOU'VE GOT ARIZONA, CALIFORNIA, FLORIDA, GEORGIA, UH, TEXAS, TENNESSEE, OKLAHOMA, ALABAMA, ARKANSAS, COLORADO. 
          I MEAN, THEY'RE ALL OVER THE PLACE. 
          SO I THINK THIS IS THE FUTURE. 
          SO I THINK, UH, AGAIN, TO MAKE THE SAME POINT THAT WE'VE ALL BEEN MAKING, YOU KNOW, WE NEED TO WORK TOGETHER AND FIGURE OUT, I I THINK THIS IS THE FUTURE. 
          SO I THINK WE NEED TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO MAKE IT WORK, UM, WITH THE, UH, LEASE NEGATIVE IMPACT ON THE, ON THE LARGER POPULATION. 
          AND, UM, IT WILL PROVIDE SOME OPPORTUNITIES. 
          AND I WILL TELL YOU AGAIN, WHEN I'M TIRED, SOMETIMES I FEEL AS THOUGH MY CAR WOULD, IT WOULD ACTUALLY MAKES BETTER DECISIONS THAN I WOULD. 
          'CAUSE YOU REALIZE WHEN YOU ARE IN A SELF-DRIVING MODE OF HOW MUCH OF YOUR BRAIN IS ENGAGED WHEN YOU'RE DRIVING, LIKE YOU'RE, YOU'RE WATCHING EVERYTHING. 
          YOU'RE LISTENING TO EVERYTHING. 
          THERE'S SO MANY, UH, VISUAL THREE DIMENSIONAL VISUAL THINGS THAT YOU'RE AWARE OF. 
          BUT, UM, SO I, I THINK IT, IT, IT IS AN OPPORTUNITY AND I THINK IT IS THE FUTURE, BUT WE NEED TO LEARN HOW TO MAKE IT WORK FOR US AND NOT HAVE IT CONTROL US, BUT WE NEED TO COME UP WITH THE PROPER REGULATIONS, GUIDELINES, UH, CRITERIA TO MAKE IT AT, AT WORK FOR US. 
          THANK YOU. 
          WELL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH, COUNCIL ZUZI AND I, I THINK MAYBE WE WILL, UM, TAKE A LOOK AT FUTURISTIC IDEAS, BUT I THINK FIRST MAYBE, WELL, THIS IS MY VIEW ONLY, UM, IF WE'VE GOTTA FIGURE OUT THE DANGERS ASSOCIATED WITH THE AI AND, UH, THERE'S BEEN A CLARION CALL FROM SO MANY OF THE, UM, ANTHROPIC AND THE VIDEO AND OTHERS THAT WE, WE REALLY NEED TO UNDERSTAND WHAT WE'RE DOING BEFORE WE GET TOO FAR ALONG. 
          UM, AND, UM, YOU KNOW, PO POPE LEO WROTE A PIECE ABOUT AI AND THE DANGERS ASSOCIATED WITH AI. 
          SO IT'S, IT'S A GOOD READ. 
          SO ANYHOW, UH, ON A MOTION FROM, UH, COUNCILOR MCGOVERN, I THINK, UH, WITH, UH, YOU CAN'T MAKE A MOTION. 
          OH, BY A MOTION FROM COUNCILOR ZUI. 
          UM, SO YOU GET DOUBLE DUTY. 
          I WAS TRYING TO BE FAIR AND GIVE COUNCIL MCGOVERN AN OPPORTUNITY TO PARTICIPATE IN MORE. 
          BUT, UH, ON A MOTION FROM, UH, COUNCIL SUZY, WE'RE GONNA MOVE TO ADJOURN. 
          UH, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. 
          AYE. 
          AYE. 
          YOU, YOU CAN'T DO A VOICE VOTE 'CAUSE COUNSELOR SABRINA WHEELER IS ONLINE. 
          OH, I'M SORRY. 
          THAT'S OKAY. 
          SO, VICE MAYOR, ABSENT. 
          COUNSELOR FLAHERTY? YES. 
          YES. 
          COUNSELOR NOLAN, ABSENT. 
          COUNSELOR SABRINA WHEELER. 
          YES. 
          YES. 
          COUNCILLOR ZUI. 
          YES. 
          YES. 
          THAT'S THREE MEMBERS VOTING IN THE AFFIRMATIVE TO RECORD. 
          IT IS ABSENT. 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH. 
          AND THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH FOR ATTENDING. 
          APPRECIATE YOUR HELP.
* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.