u/Crazy_Tap_803

**Most Portlanders probably haven’t seen this, so a quick rundown of where things stand and why it matters.**. FYI YES I proudly put this together with AI ! And NO I am not against AVs! I plan on owning a few..

**What’s happening:**

• On April 28, Waymo announced it has started human-driven mapping of Portland streets, which is the standard precursor to autonomous testing and paid robotaxi service.
• PBOT is updating its 2018 administrative rule (TRN-14.34) to create a new For-Hire AV Permit, which would lift the existing prohibition on paid self-driving rides. The public comment period ran February–April and pulled in 220+ comments.
• Final adoption authority on the rule sits with the PBOT Director, not the City Council. The Council can hold hearings and weigh in, but it’s not required to.
• Waymo spent thousands lobbying City officials in fall 2025, before any of this was public.

**Why Portland’s situation is different from Phoenix:**
People keep pointing to Phoenix as proof that AVs work fine. Phoenix is flat, with wide streets and a spread-out layout. San Francisco is the closer comparison to Portland: hilly, narrow streets in many neighborhoods, downtown corridors with on-street parking on both sides leaving one usable lane. San Francisco has the strictest AV rules in the country and still deals with stalled Waymos blocking streets, abrupt stops, and disruption during power outages. Strict rules haven’t fixed the underlying problem of operating these vehicles in a constrained street grid.
Portland looks a lot more like San Francisco than Phoenix.

**Why timing matters:**

Oregon’s HB 4085 this past session would have shifted AV authority to the state and limited what cities can do. It didn’t pass, but a similar bill is expected in 2027. Look at Philadelphia: Pennsylvania passed state preemption in 2022, and at a Philadelphia City Council hearing on AV safety this month, Waymo didn’t even bother to send anyone in person — they submitted written testimony only. Once local leverage is gone, so is the company’s incentive to show up.
Portland still has meaningful local authority through PBOT permitting. That window may close in 2027.

**What I’m asking for:**

I’m writing Council President Dunphy to request public hearings before any of this gets finalized — to actually look at the 220+ public comments, the track record from other cities, and what Portland’s specific streets need. The current process is administrative, which means it could be finalized without Council ever holding a single public hearing on it.

If you care about this, contact your Councilors and PBOT. The issues raised most in comments — pedestrian/cyclist safety, accessibility, congestion, emergency-services coordination, impacts on rideshare drivers and taxi drivers, data practices — are exactly the issues other cities are still struggling with after deployment.

Curious what other people think. Anyone been following this closer than I have, or seen the draft rule?

Most Portlanders probably haven’t seen this, so a quick rundown of where things stand and why it matters.

What’s happening:

•	On April 28, Waymo announced it has started human-driven mapping of Portland streets, which is the standard precursor to autonomous testing and paid robotaxi service.  
•	PBOT is updating its 2018 administrative rule (TRN-14.34) to create a new For-Hire AV Permit, which would lift the existing prohibition on paid self-driving rides. The public comment period ran February–April and pulled in 220+ comments.  
•	Final adoption authority on the rule sits with the PBOT Director, not the City Council. The Council can hold hearings and weigh in, but it’s not required to.  
•	Waymo spent thousands lobbying City officials in fall 2025, before any of this was public.

Why Portland’s situation is different from Phoenix:
People keep pointing to Phoenix as proof that AVs work fine. Phoenix is flat, with wide streets and a spread-out layout. San Francisco is the closer comparison to Portland: hilly, narrow streets in many neighborhoods, downtown corridors with on-street parking on both sides leaving one usable lane. San Francisco has the strictest AV rules in the country and still deals with stalled Waymos blocking streets, abrupt stops, and disruption during power outages. Strict rules haven’t fixed the underlying problem of operating these vehicles in a constrained street grid.
Portland looks a lot more like San Francisco than Phoenix.

Why timing matters:

Oregon’s HB 4085 this past session would have shifted AV authority to the state and limited what cities can do. It didn’t pass, but a similar bill is expected in 2027. Look at Philadelphia: Pennsylvania passed state preemption in 2022, and at a Philadelphia City Council hearing on AV safety this month, Waymo didn’t even bother to send anyone in person — they submitted written testimony only. Once local leverage is gone, so is the company’s incentive to show up.
Portland still has meaningful local authority through PBOT permitting. That window may close in 2027.

What I’m asking for:

I’m writing Council President Dunphy to request public hearings before any of this gets finalized — to actually look at the 220+ public comments, the track record from other cities, and what Portland’s specific streets need. The current process is administrative, which means it could be finalized without Council ever holding a single public hearing on it.

If you care about this, contact your Councilors and PBOT. The issues raised most in comments — pedestrian/cyclist safety, accessibility, congestion, emergency-services coordination, impacts on rideshare drivers and taxi drivers, data practices — are exactly the issues other cities are still struggling with after deployment.

Curious what other people think. Anyone been following this closer than I have, or seen the draft rule?