SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS RADIO) – A busy San Francisco intersection was tied up Tuesday morning when a Waymo autonomous vehicle stopped in the middle of the road.
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The incident happened at the height of rush hour traffic when the driverless car came across an unexpected obstacle. The wayward Waymo came to a stop at 19th and Ulloa streets in San Francisco's Inner Sunset just before 9 a.m., causing traffic to back up to Crossover Drive in Golden Gate Park.
"Fully autonomous vehicle, no one driving, just drove right into a construction site," one onlooker who posted a video of the car to social media told KCBS Radio.
A company spokesperson told KCBS Radio the construction created a complex and busy intersection and an unexpected temporary road closure.
Waymo is one of a handful of autonomous ride services in San Francisco, including Zoox and Cruise. A Waymo product manager explained that the company uses predictive predictive technology in its cars to identify hazards. "Part of our strategy is to be able to demonstrate that we can have our technology work here, but it's not just a demo or a one ride, but really make it a service," she said.
Waymo received a permit from state regulators two months ago.
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