Weymouth Open To Testing Self-Driving Cars

WEYMOUTH, MA – The city of Weymouth on Thursday entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation to facilitate and expand the testing of self-driving cars on local roads. Weymouth was among 15 communities, the majority of which are in greater Boston, to enter into the agreement.

MassDOT and participating cities and towns will now finalize a universal application for self-driving car companies to use when seeking to test their vehicles, and municipalities will identify locations and roadways suitable for testing.

The MOU is a simplified version of a process currently in place in Massachusetts that establishes a pathway for companies looking to test autonomous vehicles in the state, according to MassDOT. The testing application will need to demonstrate that the vehicle being tested has passed an RMV inspection, can be operated without risk to the public and has a person inside at all times while driving.

This will allow companies to test vehicle technology in a range of environments, neighborhoods and road types, MassDOT said.

"This agreement will allow companies to responsibly develop and test autonomous vehicle technology in Massachusetts, while ensuring there are uniform safety guidelines in place," Gov. Charlie Baker said in a statement. "The MOU builds on the existing Autonomous Vehicle testing framework while simplifying the process for municipalities to work with innovative companies that are seeking to advance transportation, create jobs in our nation leading innovation economy, and improve our quality of life in the Commonwealth."

Baker signed an executive order in October 2016 that laid the framework for testing self-driving cars in Massachusetts. The executive order created the Autonomous Vehicle Working Group, which continues to consult with experts on motor vehicle safety and automation and encourage the development of automated vehicle technologies in Massachusetts.

The other participating communities are:

• Arlington
• Boston
• Braintree
• Brookline
• Cambridge
• Chelsea
• Malden
• Medford
• Melrose
• Newton
• Revere
• Somerville
• Winthrop
• Worcester

The Department of Conservation and Recreation also the MOU to make state-owned parkways available for testing.

Photo courtesy nuTonomy, used in previous Patch story