Waymo, the autonomous vehicle company owned by Alphabet, recently faced a road blockage incident in San Francisco involving its robotaxis. According to video footage posted on Reddit and confirmed by Waymo, seven of its robotaxis blocked traffic on the Potrero Avenue 101 on-ramp. The incident occurred when the first robotaxi encountered a road closure with traffic cones while en route back to Waymo’s city depot.
The Waymo spokesperson explained that the only alternative route available to the vehicles was to take the freeway. Although California regulators have given Waymo approval to operate its autonomous robotaxi service on San Francisco freeways without a human driver, the company is currently still testing with a human driver present in the front seat.
As a result, the first Waymo vehicle in the lineup pulled over and halted in a lane blocked by cones, followed by the remaining six robotaxis. This caused human-driven cars to become stuck behind them. Frustrated drivers were seen in a video posted online taking matters into their own hands and physically moving the cones to clear a path.
Waymo quickly dispatched its Roadside Assistance team to manually retrieve the vehicles, and the entire incident was resolved within 30 minutes. However, this is not the first time Waymo has faced such an issue. Cruise, General Motors’ autonomous vehicle subsidiary, has also been under scrutiny for multiple instances of its vehicles malfunctioning and blocking traffic.
While human drivers causing traffic blockages is a common occurrence, city officials and first responders in San Francisco have expressed frustration with not being able to access and move robotaxis when they obstruct traffic. Additionally, they are unable to issue traffic citations to these vehicles since a driver must be present in the car in order to do so.
Waymo has stated that it is prioritizing a safe and gradual expansion of its rider-only freeway operations in Arizona before proceeding further in California. This incident highlights the challenges that autonomous vehicle companies face as they strive to perfect their technologies and navigate the complexities of urban environments. As the technology continues to develop and regulations evolve, it is crucial for companies like Waymo to address these issues to ensure the safety and efficient integration of autonomous vehicles on our roads.