In the realm of science fiction, the uprising of autonomous machines against humanity is often depicted with grandiose drama.
However, in San Francisco, the reality of this autonomous revolution is far less theatrical, yet equally disruptive. The city's residents are being tormented by an incessant nocturnal symphony of honking, courtesy of Waymo's autonomous vehicles.
San Francisco resident Russell Pofsky has been bearing the brunt of this auditory assault. "Over the past two weeks Ive been woken up more times overnight than I have combined over 20 years, Pofsky lamented, as reported by KGO-TV. The relentless honking has taken a toll on his wellbeing. Its just really, really its tough. It affects the way you feel, he added.
The source of this nocturnal nuisance is a parking lot where Waymo's autonomous vehicles are stationed. Waymo, a self-proclaimed "autonomous driving technology" company, asserts that its technology aids in safe navigation on San Francisco's streets. However, the company's vehicles have been causing sleepless nights for residents, as they engage in inexplicable honking sessions, according to KGO-TV.
Another local resident, Randol White, shared his experience of the bizarre phenomenon. I was like, where is that coming from? And I looked down, and I was like, I think its coming from the Waymo cars, White recounted. The honking sessions, often commencing at 4 a.m., became a recurring issue, leading White to realize the gravity of the problem.
Christopher Cherry, a resident living near the parking lot, described the situation as the autonomous vehicles seemingly developing a life of their own. 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 noted, as reported by KNTV-TV. He pointed out that the peak honking time is around 4 a.m., which is not only disruptive during the day but also interrupts sleep. The cars are robotic and theyre honking at each other and theres no one in the cars when its happening, and thats absurd, Cherry added.
The frustration is exacerbated by the lack of a human point of contact to address the issue. I think the most frustrating thing about this is that there is just nobody to talk to, and even at the corporate level, I am finding it difficult, [if] not impossible, White expressed.
According to The Verge, Waymo has acknowledged the issue and is taking steps to rectify it. Waymo representative Chris Bonelli explained that the honking was initially intended as a safety feature to prevent low-speed collisions. We recently introduced a useful feature to help avoid low-speed collisions by honking if other cars get too close while reversing toward us, he said. However, the company didn't anticipate the frequency of honking in their own parking lots. Weve updated the software, so our electric vehicles should keep the noise down for our neighbors moving forward, Bonelli assured.
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