A Waymo autonomous vehicle is seen reflected in a mirror as it drives along California Street on April 11, 2022 in San Francisco, California.
Justin Sullivan/Getty ImagesA Waymo autonomous vehicle was apparently stopped in the middle of a key San Francisco intersection, bringing traffic to a halt during morning rush hour.
At around 8:50 a.m. Tuesday, a Waymo driverless car came to a standstill on 19th Avenue and Ulloa Street in the Inner Sunset, a company spokesperson told SFGATE in an emailed statement.
The spokesperson explained that the vehicle “entered a very complex and busy intersection.” As a result of “unexpected temporary road closures,” the spokesperson said, the vehicle stopped in the middle of the road. Traffic was backed up all the way to Crossover Drive in Golden Gate Park, according to one driver at the scene.
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Members of the company’s “rider assistance team” eventually moved the vehicle away from the intersection, the spokesperson confirmed, though the company did not specify what time the car was removed from the intersection.
The incident comes about two months after Waymo received a permit from the California Public Utilities Commission for its vehicles to roam around nearly the entire the city sans drivers, becoming the second city to get access to the formerly Google-owned service. (The first is Phoenix.) SFGATE deputy managing editor Kimberly Alters described her experience as a Waymo passenger as “extremely comfortable” but was left uncertain as to whom the driverless technology serves.