Watched a self-driving car freeze at a crosswalk in downtown Austin last week

I was waiting to cross the street at 6th and Congress and this Waymo just stopped for like 10 seconds with no one in front of it. A lady with a stroller walked in front of it super careful, then it finally moved again. It made me wonder if these things are really ready for busy city blocks with confused pedestrians. Has anyone else seen weird behavior like this from autonomous vehicles in their town?

2 comments

2 Comments

shane_clark13d ago

that part about the lady with the stroller being "super careful" is exactly what I mean. my buddy down in Phoenix told me he watched a Waymo just stop in the middle of an intersection for no reason during rush hour. cars were honking and swerving around it like it was a broken down golf cart. he said it sat there for a solid 30 seconds before finally creeping forward again. honestly makes me nervous thinking about kids or dogs running out since the car might just lock up instead of reacting right.

reese_hayes7112d ago

Used to think the tech was basically solid and the scary stories were just people overreacting. Then I saw a Cruise car in downtown San Francisco just stop dead in a bike lane for a full two minutes while a cyclist was stuck behind it yelling. The car finally moved but it looked like it was having a tiny panic attack the whole time. I work near a busy intersection and I started paying attention more after that. The lady with the stroller being careful is exactly the problem. You cant have people walking around these things like theyre dealing with a nervous horse.