Angry San Francisco residents say they are losing sleep over a parking lot full of self-driving cars that continually honk at each other.
California residents near 2nd Street and Harrison Street in the South of Market neighborhood have recorded Waymo vehicles honking in a nearby parking lot during all hours of the day.
The dystopian video shows cars driving in circles around the parking lot with their lights on in the middle of the night as they randomly start honking at each other.
At first, neighbors were excited to welcome robotaxis to the area a few weeks ago, but then the noises began to disrupt their sleep.
“I thought it was really funny at first, those cars honking at each other,” said Randol White, a 57-year-old resident. Los Angeles Times“I don’t find it funny anymore.”
A video shows self-driving cars in a San Francisco neighborhood driving in circles around a parking lot and randomly honking at each other.
Resident Randol White (pictured) said he was initially excited to welcome the robotaxis, but then they started waking him up at 4 a.m.
“I was glad to see Waymos coming, but I don’t like this aspect.”
White said he was first bothered by the vehicles two weeks ago when they started up around 4 a.m. He has taken his concerns to the company but is furious that there is nothing it can do to get the cars to stop.
“I don’t have anyone to get off and talk to, because they’re a robo-taxi. That’s the most frustrating thing, you’re just screaming into the void,” he said.
Waymo said KGOO They are aware of the problem and are working to solve it.
“We are aware that in some situations our vehicles may briefly sound their horns while driving through our parking lots. We have identified the cause and are in the process of implementing a solution,” the company said.
Longtime area resident Russell Pofsky told the local news station that in all his years living in the area he has never experienced a disturbance like this.
“In the last two weeks I’ve woken up more times during the night than in all the years we’ve been together,” Pofsky said.
“I couldn’t be more irritable today for a Monday after these last two weeks. I’m really at a very high level. It’s really very, very… difficult. It affects the way you feel.”
A longtime area resident said he had never experienced a disturbance like this in the 20 years he has lived there.
Residents said the horn can be heard throughout the day and is also annoying when trying to work from home.
Christopher Cherry said NBC Bay Area He was ‘really excited’ to welcome Waymo to the neighborhood, but now he just wants the honking to stop.
“We started out with a couple of honks here and there, and then as more and more cars started to arrive, it got worse,” Cherry said.
‘He’s very distracting during the work day, but more importantly, he wakes you up at four in the morning.
“We love having them there, we just wish they would stop honking their horns repeatedly at four in the morning.”
