We petition the Mayor of London to:
• Implement an immediate moratorium on the expansion of the Waymo pilot until a transparent safety audit is completed.
•
Publish a full log of all safety breaches, "near misses", and traffic
violations involving autonomous vehicles in London to date.
Why is this important?
Over the last few weeks, American company WAYMO has been testing autonomous vehicles in Harlesden and across London. On 22 April, a WAYMO vehicle drove through a live police cordon on Harlesden High Street while officers were investigating a double stabbing.
We, the undersigned, call on the Mayor of London and Transport for London (TfL) to immediately suspend the trial and roll out of Waymo autonomous vehicles on London’s streets. We further request a police investigation into near misses and other incidents where public safety was at risk.
We, the undersigned, call on the Mayor of London and Transport for London (TfL) to immediately suspend the trial and roll out of Waymo autonomous vehicles on London’s streets. We further request a police investigation into near misses and other incidents where public safety was at risk.
REASONS FOR THIS PETITION
The current rollout of Waymo autonomous vehicles (AVs) across London, and specifically within the Harlesden area, is proceeding without adequate democratic oversight or proven safety protocols for complex urban environments. Our concerns are based on the following:
1. Breach of Police Cordons: Footage has emerged of a Waymo vehicle in Harlesden breaching a live police line. Such actions constitute "wilful obstruction" of the police. If a driver of a regular vehicle had committed this act, they would likely be under investigation and could face criminal prosecution. We cannot allow a "two-tier" justice system where corporate AI is exempt from the laws that govern Londoners.
2. Unresolved Safety Risks: Autonomous vehicles are struggling to navigate the "edge cases" of London’s busy streets, including responding to emergency sirens, physical police barriers, and the unpredictable movements of pedestrians and cyclists in high-density areas like Harlesden.
3. Lack of Community Consent: Residents in Brent have not been adequately consulted on this trial. Public streets are being treated as a laboratory for unproven technology without a clear framework for liability when things go wrong.
4. Extra traffic on our roads: if Waymo or any other autonomous vehicles are allowed on the streets of London, that will lead to extra traffic on our roads. It will further compromise the Mayor of London's traffic reduction aims, led by Sadiq Khan, focus on reducing overall traffic volumes by 10-15% by 2041 and cutting car kilometres by 27% by 2030 to meet Net Zero and health targets. We need more accessible and affordable public transport, instead of more cars on our roads.
5. Vision Zero Compromise : The Mayor’s "Vision Zero" strategy aims to eliminate road danger. Introducing vehicles that fail to recognise and respect police cordons is a direct contradiction of this safety goal.
9 comments:
"Harlesden Says No to Waymo" a bit presumptuous and cheeky for a petition with only 295 signatures a month after launching, more like Harlesden says Meh to Waymo. One of the recent signers is Charlie F who is probably Charlie Fernandes a Wembley Hill Green Party candidate, so how many of the 295 are just Green members and how many actually live in Harlesden? If the Greens want to be considered the party of integrity they ought to be a bit more honest about this petition. Waymo has already made it clear that the car that went through the police tape was being driven by a human at the time. Data from the incident shows that, had the car been in autonomous mode, it would have stopped. AVs have driven millions of miles and are on average safer than humans at the wheel getting us closer to The Mayor’s "Vision Zero" strategy. This petition should be relaunched with the Five Concerns rewritten, and it will need a new title when the results are published as the only thing Harlesden said No to lately was the idea of having three Green Councillors
Thank you for engaging with us on this.
The cordon breach in Harlesden was the lightning rod for this campaign. That one incident is not our only concern. AV trials are being paused around the world for a variety of reasons, including safety related concerns. Please see reports below.
The OECD are also collating a database of safety incidents. I recommend you take a look.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckgplyxxl75o
https://www.thecity.nyc/2026/04/06/waymo-driverless-cars-testing-roads-autonomous-vehicle/
https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/china-suspends-new-autonomous-vehicle-permits-after-baidu-outage-bloomberg-news-2026-04-29/
https://oecd.ai/en/incidents/2026-04-23-4150
https://oecd.ai/en/incidents/2026-05-22-fef6
https://oecd.ai/en/incidents/2026-05-15-4a94
https://oecd.ai/en/incidents/2026-05-13-d3a7
I don’t see a problem (a lack of honesty and integrity?) with Brent Green Party members and activists signing the petition. They are part of our movement and believe in our campaigns.
WE were not consulted about Lime Bikes or about Cyclists jumping red lights and for riding on pavements BUT the Greens are silent on this danger. Seems like a 'heads in the sand approach'.
Search on this blog and you will find coverage of Lime Bikes. Here is one piece: https://wembleymatters.blogspot.com/2024/08/grappling-with-lime-bikes-parking.html
If we weren't consulted, then we should have been, but then this is Butt-land where residents count for nothing. Even though Butt has less than half the seats on the council, he still controls all the decision making committees by numbers and chairmanships and also via all the positions on Cabinet. (This is all thanks to the incompetent and selfish Tory Group under Cllr. I want to be Leader of the Opposition, because it pays well, what other reason could there be?).
reply to Cllr Suzanne Gallagher (28 May 2026 at 20:17) regarding honesty and integrity. Thank you for posting this link https://oecd.ai/en/incidents/2026-04-23-4150 which says the vehicle was under manual control, so why don't you make it clear in the petition that a human was driving when it went through the tape? It is political chicanery to gather signatures based on a falsehood you know to be so. If you do not correct this now it will come back to bite the Green Party. As for signatories to the petition, naturally Green members and activists can engage, but if you have chosen to title it "Harlesden Says No to..." then shouldn't the voices heard be those of Harlesden residents - correct me if wrong but Charlie Fernandes is not one? Granted you held a short event by the Jubilee Clock but this petition is open to anyone to sign and it would be disingenuous to stuff it with non-resident activists then present it as what 'Harlesden Says'. Thanks also for the links to the paused AV trials. Flash flooding in Atlanta did take Waymo off the streets for a week but they then restarted which seems a reasonable response
Autonomous Vehicles (AV) are safer, according to AV companies..There is nothing proving that AVs are indeed safer than cars driven by cab drivers or professional hire drivers (PHD). AVs are not a mature technology and the fact that they have been endorsed by the UK government and by Mo Butt doesn't make any difference to that. Also, AVs are not fully autonomous. They require remote supervision. In Waymo's case, "remote assistance agents" are based in the USA and in the Philippines. How is that supposed to be safe? There is a lot more to say about AVs, their environmental impact and their impact on jobs and communities. As for the local representatives elected by Harlesden and Kensal Green voters on May 7th, we aren't all Green but we aren't all Labour either. Almost one month since polling day, I think it would be healthy for Labour Party members to get used to this new reality.
More on the wsy via Uber...
Uber's robotaxis arrive in the UK:
Self-driving cars will be available in London this summer | Daily Mail Online https://share.google/i3UuvTQLuJAXaQNh5
"Driverless 'robotaxis' could increase congestion and delay buses, former TfL director warns
The London Assembly Transport Committee is investigating the impact self-driving taxis will have on congestion.
Concerns have been raised that a proliferation of such vehicles on London’s roads could directly contradict the Mayor’s Transport Strategy (MTS). The strategy aims for a traffic reduction of up to 15 per cent and for 80 per cent of all trips in the city to be made by public or active transport."
Driverless 'robotaxis' could increase congestion and delay buses, former TfL director warns | The Standard https://share.google/Sal8H3JM30MQznqK3
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