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Focus mode Show Search [ ] Search Query Submit Search Advertisement California San Francisco's North Beach streets clogged as long line of Cruise robotaxis come to a standstill Cruise AV, General Motor's autonomous electric Bolt EV, is displayed in Detroit in 2019. Cruise AV, General Motor's autonomous electric Bolt EV, is displayed in Detroit in 2019. Autonomous vehicle taxis have been given the green light to operate in San Francisco. (Paul Sancya / Associated Press) By Russ MitchellStaff Writer Aug. 12, 2023 1:20 PM PT * Facebook * Twitter * Show more sharing options ShareClose extra sharing options * Facebook * Twitter * LinkedIn * Email * Copy Link URLCopied! * Print One day after California green-lighted a massive expansion of driverless robotaxis in San Francisco, the implications became clear. At about 11 p.m. Friday, as many as 10 Cruise driverless taxis blocked two narrow streets in the center of the city's lively North Beach bar and restaurant district. All traffic came to a standstill on Vallejo Street and around two corners on Grant. Human-driven cars sat stuck behind and in between the robotaxis, which might as well have been boulders: no one knew how to move them. The cars sat motionless with parking lights flashing for 15 minutes, then woke up and moved on, witnesses said. Advertisement VIDEO | 00:26 Pedestrian counts 10 robotaxis stalled in North Beach [] A pedestrian counts 10 Cruise robotaxis bricked in North Beach late Friday night. Aaron Peskin, who represents North Beach on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, fears what could happen when a major fire or other life-threatening emergency breaks out with multiple robotaxis blocking the way. "Our houses in North Beach are made of sticks," he said. Peskin was flooded with texts, emails and videos from constituents as the robotaxis, programmed with artificial intelligence software, sat unresponsive. In one video, zeroing in on a robotaxi's "driver" seat, a man says "this is what our country has come to." Cruise blamed cellphone carriers for the problem. At 11:01 p.m. Friday, Peskin sent a text message to Cruise government affairs manager Lauren Wilson. At 8:25 a.m. Saturday, she texted back: "As I understand it, outside lands impacted LTE cell connectivity and ability for RA advisors to route cars." Outside Lands is a three-day music festival held in Golden Gate Park, four miles from North Beach. FILE - A Waymo driverless taxi stops on a street in San Francisco for several minutes because the back door was not completely shut, while traffic backs up behind it, on Feb. 15, 2023. California regulators are poised to decide whether two rival robotaxi services can provide around-the-clock rides throughout San Francisco, despite escalating fears about recurring incidents that have cause the driverless vehicles to block traffic or imperil public safety. (AP Photo/Terry Chea, file) Business Massive expansion of driverless robotaxis approved for San Francisco despite public safety concerns Gov. Gavin Newsom's California Public Utilities Commission on Thursday approved a measure to let robotaxi companies Cruise and Waymo massively expand deployment of their driverless vehicles on San Francisco streets. Aug. 10, 2023 The situation is loaded with irony, as the California Public Utilities Commission on Thursday voted 3 to 1 amid great public controversy to allow a massive robotaxi expansion. The vote allows General Motors-owned Cruise and Waymo, owned by Google's Alphabet, to charge fares for driverless service and grow the fleet as large as they'd like. Cruise has said it plans eventually to deploy thousands of robotaxis in San Francisco. City officials in San Francisco, from the mayor's office down, have been fighting the move, with officials saying the robotaxi industry needs to fix problems that endanger the public first before further expanding the business. The city'sFire Department has logged more than 55 cases of robotaxis interfering with first responders. Fire Chief Jeanine Nicholson has repeatedly said Cruise and Waymo are getting in firefighters' way and their technology is "not ready for prime time." Advertisement Deputy Chief Jeanine Nicholson is seen during a news conference where Mayor London Breed announced Nicholson as the new San Francisco Fire Chief on Wednesday, March 13, 2019 in San Francisco, Calif. (Lea Suzuki/San Francisco Chronicle via AP) Business San Francisco's fire chief is fed up with robotaxis that mess with her firetrucks. And L.A. is next As robotaxi companies plan to provide service in Los Angeles, San Francisco officials battle with state regulators over robotaxi safety. June 22, 2023 The CPUC decided to go ahead anyway. One of the three yes votes was cast by Commissioner John Reynolds, who served as head lawyer at Cruise before appointed to the CPUC by Gov. Gavin Newsom. The no vote came from Commissioner Genevieve Shiroma, who said the companies should explain the problems and how they plan to fix them first. VIDEO | 00:44 Man inspects stalled robotaxi [] North Beach resident Jeffrey Bilbrey observes the line of bricked robotaxis from his apartment window. 'This is what our country's come to,' says a man inspecting a stranded robotaxi. Peskin said city officials are pursuing "every means" to have the CPUC decision reversed, and are discussing whether to seek a court injunction. Another option: fining Cruise and Waymo thousands of dollars for each robotaxi road blockage. The CPUC, and Gov. Gavin Newsom, in Peskin's view, are putting big money ahead of basic public safety. The CPUC "has not been held in high esteem by the people of California for a very long time," Peskin said. All five CPUC commissioners were appointed by Newsom, including the former Cruise attorney. "If you're looking for an example of regulatory capture, you're seeing it now," Peskin said. "It's unethical and immoral but legal," he said. "Bottom line, this all goes to Gov. Gavin Christopher Newsom." Representatives for Newsom and the CPUC could not be immediately reached for comment. In a Twitter post Saturday, Cruise said, "We are actively investigating and working on solutions to keep this from happening again." CaliforniaAutosBusiness Newsletter The stories shaping California Get up to speed with our Essential California newsletter, sent six days a week. Enter email address[ ] Sign Me Up You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. [] Russ Mitchell Follow Us * Twitter * Instagram * Email * Facebook Russ Mitchell covers the rapidly changing global auto industry, with special emphasis on California, including Tesla, electric vehicles, driverless cars and vehicle safety, for the Los Angeles Times. More From the Los Angeles Times * SAN FRANCISCO - JUNE 19: Packages of Nestle Toll House chocolate chip cookies are displayed on a shelf at Cal Mart Grocery June 19, 2009 in San Francisco, California. Nestle is voluntarily recalling its Toll House refrigerated cookie dough products after the Food and Drug Administration issued a warning of possible E.coli contamination. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) California Nestle recalls cookie dough products for possibly containing wood chips * [] California Mob robbery at Topanga Nordstrom sparks outrage, beefed-up LAPD patrols * The Beverly Hills City Hall historic building stands in Beverly Hills, California on August 26, 2022. (Photo by Patrick T. 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