Waymo Robotaxis Cause Sleepless Nights for San Francisco Residents
Introduction
Few things in life are more frustrating than being woken up in the early hours of the morning by blaring car horns.
Unfortunately, this has become a reality for many residents living in San Francisco’s South of Market neighborhood,
all thanks to Waymo.
The Honking Problem
Waymo recently updated the software on its Jaguar I-Pace prototypes, which are currently being tested in San Francisco.
The update includes a feature that prompts the vehicle to honk its horn if other cars get too close while reversing.
While this feature is intended to avoid parking accidents, Waymo failed to disable it in its own parking lots, where
the robotaxis gather in the middle of the night to rest.
Residents’ Frustration
A video shared on TikTok shows dozens of Waymo robotaxis sitting in a parking lot near several apartment complexes
in San Francisco. The clip, filmed at 4 a.m., captures the vehicles indecisively shuffling around the parking lot
and repeatedly honking at each other when they get too close. This constant honking has been a major annoyance
for residents, disrupting their workdays and waking them up at four in the morning.
Waymo’s Response
Fortunately, Waymo has addressed the issue and assured residents that the noise will be minimized moving forward.
A spokesperson from the tech company stated, “We recently introduced a useful feature to help avoid low-speed collisions
by honking if other cars get too close while reversing toward us. It has been working great in the city, but we
didn’t quite anticipate it would happen so often in our own parking lots. We’ve updated the software, so our electric
vehicles should keep the noise down for our neighbors moving forward.”
Conclusion
While Waymo’s intention to prioritize safety is commendable, the unintended consequence of sleepless nights for San
Francisco residents highlights the importance of thorough testing and consideration of all scenarios when implementing
new features in autonomous vehicles.
