The Denver Post reports that Waymo, the Google-owned self-driving car outfit, is rolling into Denver. About a dozen test cars are hitting the streets this week, with the promise of full-fledged robotaxi service sometime next year. Waymo already operates in San Francisco, Phoenix, LA, Atlanta, and Austin, where the cars have been praised for safety and cursed for getting stuck or being torched by protesters. Denver’s version will start with a “unique driving environment” exploratory phase, and Mayor Mike Johnston and Gov. Jared Polis are already lining up to cheerlead. Polis hailed it as climate-friendly innovation that will make streets “safer and cleaner,” while Johnston said it’ll be great for errands, work, and nights out.
The Bullet Point Brief
- Waymo is testing about a dozen autonomous vehicles in Denver now, with plans to launch a robotaxi service in 2026.
- The company touts safety, citing fewer pedestrian accidents, while critics call the cars glitchy, creepy, and occasionally flammable.
- Cities like LA and Phoenix have complained about cars blocking traffic and getting stuck, but cops love the surveillance footage.
- Polis and Johnston are giddy, treating Waymo’s arrival like Christmas morning, declaring it climate-friendly innovation.
- Beneath the shiny tech is an obvious truth: autonomous vehicles still use the same old thing – roads. Lane miles. Asphalt. Concrete.
My Bottom Line
As a transportation advocate, I don’t fear this. I find it fascinating. Test the hell out of it, make sure it’s safe, and bring it on. Autonomous vehicles have the potential to make our roadways more efficient than ever – cars traveling inches apart at higher speeds, squeezing more capacity out of every mile. This could revolutionize how we move people.
But here’s the deal: all those marvels of the future ride on the same blacktop we’ve been neglecting for decades. Roads. Lane miles. Asphalt and concrete. And that’s where Polis and his transit-obsessed Democrats show their hand. They’ve got $2 billion train fever, shoving rail fantasies down everyone’s throat while the roads crumble. It doesn’t matter if you’re in a robotaxi or a 2004 Honda Civic – you still need roads to get to your job.
So sure, hail Waymo. But maybe fix our damn roads first. Because no amount of “climate-friendly innovation” means squat if your robotaxi is stuck in the same potholes the rest of us are dodging.
