Life in a big city is often accompanied by a symphony of urban sounds – bustling traffic, wailing sirens, and the occasional canine chorus. But for residents in San Francisco’s South of Market neighborhood, a new, technologically-driven sound has joined the cacophony: the persistent honking of driverless cars.
The culprit? Waymo, a leading developer of autonomous vehicle technology, which has been testing its self-driving cars in the city for years. Recently, Waymo began offering rideshare services as part of a trial program, and they’ve also been utilizing a parking lot in South of Market for their fleet of robocars.
Local residents, however, have found the experience less than pleasant. Christopher Cherry, a resident of the area, reported to NBC Bay Area News that the honking began a few weeks ago, escalating as more Waymo vehicles were added to the parking lot. “We started out with a couple of honks here and there, and then as more and more cars started to arrive, the situation got worse,” Cherry said. The noise, he explained, fluctuates throughout the night, reaching its peak around 4:00 a.m. and during evening rush hour. While Cherry acknowledges the honking’s disruptive nature during the workday, he expresses particular concern for its impact on sleep. “It’s very distracting during the work day, but most importantly it wakes you up at four in the morning,” Cherry said.
Videos taken by residents reveal that the honking often starts when a Waymo car arrives at the lot and reverses into a parking spot. This maneuver appears to trigger the honking of nearby Waymo vehicles, although the exact reason for this remains unclear. The incessant nature of the honking, described as “absurd” by Cherry due to the lack of human drivers, has left residents frustrated. They have been left feeling powerless to address the problem, as there is no one present to report the issue to. Cherry, however, took the initiative to contact Waymo directly, alerting them to the nuisance honking.
Waymo, in a statement, confirmed their awareness of the issue, acknowledging that their self-driving cars “may briefly honk while navigating our parking lots” in certain scenarios. They have also stated that they have identified the cause of the honking and are actively working on a solution.
While Waymo aims to alleviate the honking problem, residents of South of Market are left hoping for a reprieve from the symphony of urban sounds, hoping that this new, technological twist will soon be silenced.
