Red states get Waymos. Blue states get studies.
How to kill progress with a study
When presented with a life-saving technology that would cost taxpayers exactly zero dollars, the D.C. city government is choosing to delay. Waymo, which had been hoping to launch its self-driving cars in the nation’s capital this year, is facing hurdles.
Two council members in particular — Ward 4’s Janeese Lewis George and Ward 6’s Charles Allen — have cited safety concerns.
They said they want to wait to authorize Waymo until the D.C. Department of Transportation (DDOT) completes a report on the safety implications of self-driving cars for the city.
Reasonable enough, with one huge caveat — that report was due back in 2022.
This is a story about D.C., but it’s also a story about a pernicious tactic of delaying-through-reports that elected officials use to seem like they are being thoughtful and rigorous while kicking the can down the road. Time and again, when there’s a controversial upzoning or transit project, opponents will demand studies in order to delay or undermine important projects.
This is a way of exercising a veto while still seeming reasonable, evidence based, and process-oriented. In San Francisco, NIMBY groups pressure local officials to put affordable housing projects through the state environmental review process, not because anyone seriously needs an assessment on housing’s environmental impact, but in order to halt construction.
