Multiple Waymo self-driving cars get stuck in cul-de-sac

Residents of a a quiet cul-de-sac in San Francisco were 'plagued' by an influx of Waymo self-driving cars, prompting questions about the nature of the company's automated system and concerns about the effect on the environment.

According to local news station KPIX, Residents complain that up to 50 cars a day make their way down the street, only to have to turn around, resulting in more traffic and noise pollution over a period of several weeks.

The cause of the issue was unclear. Local residents told KPIX that they asked the drivers but were told that the cars were 'programmed' and that they were just doing their jobs. Noboby reported seeing one of the cars dropping off or picking up a passenger. 

Waymo responded by saying the vehicles were simply 'obeying road rules' designed to limit traffic in certain residential streets.

The incident prompted calls for the more effective regulation of autonomous vehicles.

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• https://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2021/10/14/dead-end-sf-street-plagued-with-confused-waymo-cars-trying-to-turn-around-every-5-minutes/

• https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-58928706

• https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/waymo-e2-80-99s-autonomous-vehicles-keep-getting-stuck-in-a-dead-end-street-in-san-francisco/ar-AAPwT7x

• https://thenextweb.com/news/confused-waymo-robotaxis-flood-dead-end-street-15th-avenue-san-francisco

• https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/self-driving-waymo-cars-flocking-110804847.html

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• https://www.businessinsider.co.za/trending/self-driving-cars-waymo-google-stuck-end-street-san-francisco-2021-10