Uber and Waymo launch autonomous rides in Austin, Texas.
Residents of Santa Monica, California, have been complaining and protesting the frequent noise-pollution from Waymo driverless cars.
Waymo, a driverless ride-hailing company, is operating in multiple states across America. While the driverless electric cars with rotating sensors were initially viewed as a novelty, some residents have begun to complain that their charging lots generate near-constant noise.
“[T]o hear it from residents, the beeping never seems to stop, largely due to a state regulation requiring electric vehicles to audibly reverse like delivery trucks,” The LA Times reported. “They beep as they back out of charging spots, and beep as they reverse to navigate around each other. They beep in the morning as they head out to pick up early passengers, and beep late at night as they return to charge up.”
The California newspaper reported that local residents are fed up, to the point where some are outright protesting.
A Waymo autonomous vehicle drives along Masonic Avenue on April 11, 2022, in San Francisco, California. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images / Getty Images)
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“City officials, a judge and even police have been forced to intercede after residents who say the self-driving cars are a nuisance have banded together against the local 56-vehicle fleet. They’ve reached out to the city. They’ve called Waymo. Now, some are trying unconventional tactics,” the LA Times reported.
The report additionally added, “Using cones, cars and sometimes themselves, residents have taken to blocking the Waymos from entering their company-funded parking lot, so much so that the company has called the cops on them a half dozen times.”
“I want the noise stopped,” a local resident named Darius Boorn told the outlet. “I thought it was cool, and then those freaking noises started. And then I thought, ‘Oh no, this can’t be happening.’”
The LA Times reported that Waymo’s usage of local lots was a surprise to city officials as well, who only learned about them when residents began complaining.
“Their arrival in Santa Monica appears to have flown under the radar because they subleased the lot from another company and capitalized on its existing charging infrastructure,” the report said.
A Waymo spokesperson told the LA Times that the company “will continue to learn and improve how we introduce ourselves to new communities when we arrive.”
A Waymo self-driving car pulls into a parking lot at the Google-owned company’s headquarters in Mountain View, California, on May 8, 2019. ((GLENN CHAPMAN/AFP via Getty Images) / Getty Images)
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While Waymo has made some efforts to reduce noise, including “limiting hours that staff members work at the lots, purchasing quieter vacuums to clean the cars, and installing fast-growing bamboo stands to try to absorb some of the noise,” locals are unsatisfied.
“C’mon, it’s lipstick on a pig, baby,” Boorn said.
Mayor pro-tem Caroline Torosis credited Waymo for its efforts so far, but noted the chief issue is both state and federal regulations.
“The issue here is that they are sounds that the vehicles are required to make,” Torosis said. “I’m totally sympathetic to the quiet enjoyment of property, so we’re trying to get this under control.”
Close-up of a self-driving minivan with safety driver visible, October 28, 2018. ((Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images) / Getty Images)
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As local officials work to contact state officials, Torosis added further, “We need to make sure that as we have some of these new business practices coming into the city, while not stifling innovation, that we’re putting the needs of our residents here in front.”
A spokesperson for the company told Fox Business, “We strive to be good neighbors in the cities that we operate, and are committed to being a positive presence in Santa Monica. We are in ongoing conversation with the City’s Department of Transportation, and are actively working with the agency as we explore and implement mitigations that address neighbors’ concerns.”
