A self-driving Waymo car has repeatedly disturbed residents of a quiet London street, becoming stuck while attempting to navigate a dead-end road three times in a single week. The incidents occurred on Elder Street in Shoreditch, where a metal gate blocks through traffic, creating a cul-de-sac.
Early Morning Disturbance
On Sunday, a resident named Chris took to social media to report that a Waymo vehicle had woken him at 4:15 am. The car entered the narrow cobbled street and attempted to reverse out, mounting the curb in the process. Footage showed the white SUV-style vehicle gingerly reversing, emitting loud beeping and humming noises audible from a distance.
Chris expressed frustration, stating, "That's 3 times this week you've driven a car with a driver in it down the end of a dead end street then reversed and woken up everyone in the street. Why is the driver letting the car drive down a dead end street?"
Repeated Incidents
Despite the initial complaint, the same scenario occurred twice more by Wednesday night. In the second incident, the safety driver exited the vehicle to check spacing while performing a three-point turn, complicated by parked cars. The vehicles remained stationary for minutes near the barrier, seemingly confused.
Waymo, owned by Alphabet, is currently testing its fleet of 24 white Jaguar vehicles in London for mapping and autonomous taxi services. Although a safety driver is present, the cars are designed to operate without human intervention. The company plans to launch a fully driverless service in London by the end of 2026, with potential expansion to other UK cities.
Previous Scrutiny
The vehicles have faced criticism since arriving in London. Last month, a Waymo car drove into a taped-off crime scene in Harlesden after a double stabbing. Waymo attributed the incident to driver error, stating that the vehicle would have stopped if operating autonomously.
Waymo uses four sensor systems—vision, radar, microphone, and lidar—to navigate. Lidar uses laser pulses to create 3D models of the environment. Despite a strong safety record in the US, the company has faced challenges, including illegally passing school buses and a cat fatality in San Francisco.
Company Response
A Waymo spokesperson said, "As we prepare for fully autonomous operations in London, we want to validate our technology on roads across the city. However, we've now limited vehicles' ability to drive on this street in response to this feedback."
The company maintains that its cars are involved in 91 percent fewer crashes resulting in serious injuries compared to human drivers.
