Uber’s test fleet of self-driving vehicles is leaving San Francisco for Arizona, and for now, that’s a relief for Bay Area cyclists.

On December 21, in the wake of a large regulatory debate and allegations of Uber’s vehicles driving in a fashion that puts cyclists and pedestrians in harm’s way, the California Department of Motor Vehicles revoked Uber’s registrations for all 16 of its vehicles. The company responded by piling the fleet onto flatbeds attached to Otto self-driving semi-trucks and transporting them to Arizona, with the blessing of Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey.

When the app-based ride service launched its autonomous vehicle fleet in the city on December 14, it did so without proper permits for testing self-driving vehicles, and received immediate backlash from San Francisco cyclists: Allegations of the vehicles taking dangerous “right hook” turns raised concerns about whether the cars were ready for any permits at all.

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Right-hook turns, which killed two pedestrians in Wisconsin earlier this year, occur when a vehicle crosses over a bike lane for a right turn rather than safely merging into the bike lane before the intersection. Right-hook turns are illegal in California, where drivers must merge as far to the right as possible.

Brian Wiedenmeier, executive director of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, posted a petition on December 15 to the SFBC website asking San Francisco cyclists to tell Uber to address the “dangerous and illegal turning behavior immediately.” More than 800 local riders signed it.

“There’s a huge potential for autonomous vehicle technology to dramatically reduce collisions” with other cars and cyclists, he says. “We just want to make sure it’s done right.”

The company was allegedly made aware of the illegal turns before its official launch, and launched anyway. On December 12, the San Francisco-based company hosted lawmakers and policymakers on a ride-along to demonstrate its new self-driving technology, during which issues became apparent to guests.

Wiedenmeier participated in the ride-along. Riding in the backseat of a self-driving Uber, with a driver and co-driver up front, he quickly grew nervous.

“In a short ride around the SoMa neighborhood, I experienced the vehicle make two illegal right hook turns,” Wiedenmeier says.

Wiedenmeier notified Uber engineering and policy staffers of the problem, and they told him they’d “get right on it.” Meanwhile, the California DMV fired back at Uber’s imminent launch, which it considered unlawful.

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On December 14, Uber unleashed its self-driving cars on the streets of San Francisco, sans testing permit.

That same day, San Francisco journalist Annie Gaus tweeted a photo of a self-driving Uber car lurching into an intersection during a red light:

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nope, we were crossing the intersection on green and the Uber jutted into it (pictured badly here): pic.twitter.com/su3Z0fmJIS — Annie Gaus (@AnnieGaus) December 14, 2016

The following day, a video surfaced of a self-driving Uber car running another red light.

In response to the right-hook-turn allegations, Uber says drivers have been trained to take control in potentially dangerous situations.

“We can detect people on bicycles,” an Uber spokesperson told Bicycling on December 22. “We’re working on a software fix for right hooks which has already been fixed operationally, meaning that all of our vehicle operators have been instructed to take over our vehicles when they’re making these turns.”

Twenty manufacturers have already obtained proper permits to test hundreds of self-driving cars in California, according to the California DMV. Wiedemeier says he hasn’t received any complaints about other self-driving cars in the area.

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Wiedemeier stresses he doesn’t have anything against Uber—the Coalition, which has more than 10,000 members, has worked with ridesharing companies like Uber to educate drivers on sharing the road with cyclists, of which San Francisco has many. According to its 2015 Annual Bicycle Count Report, there are 82,000 rides taken in the city ever day.

If Uber decides to pursue a test vehicle permit in California, it would have to document any traffic accident in a public registry of autonomous vehicle accidents on the California DMV’s website. Uber argues the vehicles shouldn’t require the permit because they aren’t ready to drive without a monitoring driver; an Uber spokesperson told Bicycling it “remains 100-percent committed to California.”

Meanwhile, its test fleet will be operational in Arizona, thanks to Gov. Ducey.

“Arizona welcomes Uber self-driving cars with open arms and wide open roads,” Ducey wrote in a statement Thursday. “While California puts the brakes on innovation and change with more bureaucracy and more regulation, Arizona is paving the way for new technology and new businesses.”

California may not want you; but AZ does! @Uber https://t.co/HMlvYhCuis — Doug Ducey (@dougducey) December 22, 2016

Uber hasn’t announced where in Arizona the tests will occur, so cyclists in the state won’t know how the move will affect them, or the risks. No one from the Coalition of Arizona Bicyclists was immediately available for to comment.

The California DMV maintains Uber is welcome to get its registrations back if it applies for autonomous test car permits.

For now, Wiedenmeier is happy to ride his refurbished Kline Quantum to work each day without errant autonomous cars encroaching on his bike lane.

“People who bike, especially in cities where there’s already a lot going on, have a lot to be watching out for on our streets,” he says. “We just want to make sure new types of vehicles are going to be looking out for people who bike.”

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