Self-driving tech may be marching forward, however for some residents in a quiet dead-end road in San Francisco, the worth of progress entails as much as 50 Jaguar I-Paces descending upon the lane on daily basis.

The vehicles in query belong to Waymo, Google’s self-driving-tech sibling firm. San Francisco was solely the second metropolis the place the agency provides its nascent autonomous car ride-hailing service to the general public—though the corporate has been testing its methods there for a decade. However their newest fleet of vehicles appears to have been foiled by a cul-de-sac, positioned in San Francisco’s Richmond district on fifteenth Avenue.

In keeping with native station KPIX, the vehicles flock to the road in any respect hours, earlier than making a three-point flip and driving off once more. The self-driving vehicles (which have human security drivers) typically even queue up, able to carry out the odd ritual, earlier than occurring their means. The unusual habits has been reported to have been occurring for six to eight weeks. When residents questioned the drivers, they have been informed that it’s the way in which the vehicles are programmed and that they (the drivers) have been doing their job.

Learn: Robotaxi From Waymo Will get Confused At A Development Zone

Haha

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 14, 2021

A press release from Waymo, in response to The Verge, put the sample all the way down to the close by presence of a so-called Gradual Road, whereby car actions are restricted by some residential areas. “We regularly alter to dynamic San Francisco highway guidelines,” the spokesperson mentioned. “On this case, vehicles touring North of California on fifteenth Ave should take a u-turn because of the presence of Gradual Streets signage on Lake. So, the Waymo Driver was obeying the identical highway guidelines that any automotive is required to observe.”

However in accordance with KPIX, Waymo’s antics are disturbing the peace. “I observed it whereas I used to be sleeping,” mentioned native resident Jennifer King. “I awoke to an odd hum, and I assumed there was a spacecraft outdoors my bed room window.”