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Self-Driving Cars Could Come to Manhattan

General Motors has already begun mapping a site to test the vehicles in Lower Manhattan, according to the governor’s office

 Pity the poor taxi drivers. First came Uber, now comes no one.

 
Manhattan may become the first self-driving car testing grounds in New York State, according to Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, who announced on Tuesday that General Motors, via its start-up subsidiary Cruise Automation, has applied to test the nascent technology in early 2018 in the borough.
 
G.M. has already begun mapping a test site in Manhattan, according to the governor’s office. It will submit its full application to the Department of Motor Vehicles, which will then issue any permits. The testing itself will be supervised by the State Police.
 
Nonetheless, the announcement was greeted with skepticism from various corners, including officials in the de Blasio administration, who raised concerns about the program.
 
“The city wasn’t give much notice of this idea and we certainly weren’t consulted,” said Eric Phillips, a spokesman for Mayor Bill de Blasio. “We have very real safety concerns. We are obviously looking forward to some detail on this idea before any cars hit the streets.”
Elizabeth Daigneau is GOVERNING's managing editor.
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