Self Driving Cars Can Hit The Road Again In Boston

BOSTON, MA — Last week the Mayor Marty Walsh and city officials put the brakes on having self driving cars test on Boston streets. Now city officials have given the green light for cars to hit the road for testing once again.

"We have met with our partners, nuTonomy and Optimus Ride, to review the testing policies and procedures that are mandatory components of the City of Boston’s program. With this safety review complete, Boston will allow autonomous vehicle testing to resume in the safe boundaries that have allowed testing to take place in Boston without incident," said Boston Transportation Commissioner Gina N. Fiandaca in a statement emailed to Patch.

Fiandaca said the City of Boston and MassDOT determined over the past week that safety measures ingrained in the City of Boston’s testing program, including a phased progression of testing conditions and locations; emergency braking and emergency stop functionality available in all vehicles; and a competent and qualified person in the driver’s seat prepared to take over at all times, are solid.

Officials at nuTonomy, a which is situated in the Seaport District said it is testing the vehicles on Boston public roads again after the city asked it to stop for a week while they reviewed safety protocols.

Before a nuTonomy vehicle drives onto public roads, the company's team runs some 40,000 simulations, and conducts extensive closed-course maneuver testing to ensure that our cars respond safely in real-world scenarios, according to a spokesperson.

"Before operating a nuTonomy vehicle on public roads, our safety drivers undergo extensive screening, detailed classroom training, and behind-the-wheel practice in a closed-course environment. Additionally, we have engaged outside professional driving agencies to educate our drivers on defensive driving techniques. This process takes place over multiple months with each module requiring careful documentation and sign-off by experienced trainers and engineers. Once initially approved, nuTonomy requires safety drivers remain engaged in continuous training as our software evolves," a spokesperson said in an email to Patch.

Boston officials also added a "Summarized Safety Protocols" section to the Autonomous Vehicles project page on the City of Boston's website.

Boston has allowed three companies to test autonomous vehicles in the Seaport District, including nuTonomy, Optimus Ride and Delphi (renamed Aptiv). nuTonomy partnered with Lyft in the past year and just started giving rides to some Lyft riders.

The halt on the testing came at the request of Boston leaders following the death of a woman crossing the street by a self-driving Uber vehicle in Arizona last week. The news for Uber is not so good. Arizona's governor said the company can no longer test self-driving cars there. Uber pulled its autonomous cars off the roads across the country after the crash.

Previously on Patch:

Boston Officials Ask Self-Driving Car Companies To Hold Off

Driverless Lyft Cars Touching Down In Seaport

Autonomous Autos: Arlington Works To Get Ahead

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Photo courtesy nuTonomy.