zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Automobile information
/
Honking robotaxis are keeping residents awake at night
Honking robotaxis are keeping residents awake at night-February 2024
2024-08-12 EDT 21:17:17

There are lots of noises to keep you awake at night when you live in a big city. Think busy traffic, police sirens, barking dogs, driverless cars. Wait driverless cars?!?

Well, for folks in the San Francisco neighborhood of South of Market, autonomous cars do indeed appear to be a problem. Or, more specifically, autonomous cars honking.

The noisy vehicles are operated by Waymo, a leader in the field of self-driving vehicles that has been testing its robocars in the city for many years, and more recently has been offering ridesharing services to customers as part of a trial service.

According to residents who spoke to a local news outlet, the problem started a few weeks ago when Waymo started using a parking lot in South of Market for its driverless cars.

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, local resident Christopher Cherry told NBC Bay Area News.

Cherry said the noise level varies through the night, but added that the honking is usually at its worst at around 4 a.m. and during evening rush hour times.

Its very distracting during the work day, but most importantly it wakes you up at four in the morning, Cherry said.

According to videos taken by residents in the neighborhood, the honking seems to start when a Waymo car arrives at the lot and reverses into a parking spot. Its this maneuver that seems to trigger nearby Waymo cars to start honking, but its not clear why.

Cherry described the incessant honking as absurd as the vehicles are essentially robots on wheels and theres no one inside any of them.

Another described the situation as frustrating as there was no one around to report the problem to, though Cherry said he had contacted Waymo to inform them of the nuisance honking.

The Alphabet-owned company said that it is aware that in some scenarios its robocars may briefly honk while navigating our parking lots, adding that it has identified the cause and are in the process of implementing a fix.

Now if only someone could sort out the busy traffic, police sirens, and barking dogs, too

   Editors Recommendations

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Automobile information
Jaguar Launches Live EV Map for SA
Jaguar Launches Live EV Map for SA
Owners of Electric Vehicles (EVs) and Plug-in Hybrid Vehicles (PHEVs) can now use a live map to check the status of charging stations in South Africa.  Jaguar has launched a live map showing the status of charging stations all over South Africa which will make it easier for EV...
Feb 22, 2026
Ford Shows Everest Basecamp
Ford Shows Everest Basecamp
Become your own base camp with this new Everest kit. If you are one of those Ford Everest owners who like driving to remote parts of Lesotho or Botswana on vacation, there’s an upgrade which might be of interest. Ford’s Australian division, which is very similar in marketing strategy and...
Feb 22, 2026
Veyron Designer Returns to VW
Veyron Designer Returns to VW
Europe’s most important automotive group has a new designer for its core brand. VW has announced that a Slovakian will become the company’s new chief designer, an appointment which will be hugely important as the German business attempts perhaps the most ambitious vehicle electrification strategy in history.  The man...
Feb 22, 2026
Jaguar F-Pace SVR (2019) Review
Jaguar F-Pace SVR (2019) Review
The Jaguar brand is generally associated with sporty sedans and sensual sportscars, but for the past few years, the F-Pace premium SUV has been the Coventry-based firm's top-seller. Without it, the iconic British marque would be in far greater trouble than it is. Has Jaguar managed to crack the...
Feb 22, 2026
VW teases new Polo-based cross-coupe
VW teases new Polo-based cross-coupe
VW has teased a new compact crossover. Think of it as a coupe variant of the wildly popular T-Cross; something that could ultimately work quite well in the South African market. Although the Wolfsburg-based firm is being coy about the technical details, it has released the strategy around its Nivus...
Feb 22, 2026
Toyota HiAce goes upmarket
Toyota HiAce goes upmarket
One of South Africa’s most important people movers lives on, in 14-seater configuration. The introduction of Toyota’s 6th-generation Quantum earlier this year has made it inarguably more comfortable for many South Africans to get to work and visit family whilst on vacation. However, an unexpected consequence of the new...
Feb 22, 2026
Copyright 2023-2026 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved