On Monday, March 4, Pittsburgh Mayor William Peduto issued an executive order that outlines city objectives and expectations for the safe testing of autonomous vehicles in Pittsburgh.

Known as the “Pittsburgh Principles,” the order also assigns responsibilities for the development of transparent and constructive reporting guidelines for the growing technology sector.  

“Autonomous vehicle technology has the potential to dramatically improve safety on our city streets and yield transformative benefits to equitable access and quality of life for all in our city. This can only happen when industry, agencies and people understand one another and work together,” says Mayor Peduto.  

“My hope is that this executive order will not only provide the necessary platform and process to do that for our city, but serve as a model for cities and places across the globe.” 

According to the city of Pittsburgh, this executive order is the first of its kind to be issued by any city worldwide.

Some of the principles include, “instituting transparent lines of communication between the city and partners testing autonomous vehicles, and annual reports on the implementation of AV policies; promoting automated driving systems that encourage high vehicle occupancy with lower or no emissions, and lower cost and equitable transportation options; and engaging industry leaders and community stakeholders to collaboratively facilitate the further development and deployment of self-driving technology.”

Under the executive order, the Department of Mobility and Infrastructure (DOMI) is designated as the principal point of contact. The order directs DOMI to work with public agency partners, private sector industry, and general public stakeholders in developing policy around this technology.  

​The order also instructs DOMI to develop guidelines for testing and reporting back to the public at least once a year on progress in testing and policy development.  

“These guidelines provide a framework for sharing information relevant to policymaking and building the public trust, which is essential to the success of self-driving development and its ultimate deployment in ways that strengthen our cities and communities,” says Karina Ricks, director of DOMI.

Aptiv, Argo AI, Aurora Innovation, Carnegie-Mellon University and Uber were all present when the order was being signed. All five of these entities are currently developing autonomous driving systems in the city.