Waymo's Self-Driving Taxis Have a Hilarious Problem That's Driving People Bananas

Self-driving cars might be taking the world by storm, but that doesn't mean everyone's happy about it. Some residents unfortunate enough to live next to the Waymo depot in Santa Monica, California discovered a dreadful byproduct of Alphabet's self-driving cars: their insanely irritating backup noise. "It's one of the most annoying noises I could think of," one resident told local station KTLA. As the Los Angeles Times recently reported, local regulations require self-driving vehicles to emit a noise whenever they backup — something that happens a lot as Waymos return to base for a recharge. "It's irritating. This neighborhood has a lot of noise, and to add one more level to it is not fair, I think, to this neighborhood," a local woman seethed to KTLA. "I know some people have been kept up at night, and woken up in the middle of the night." Using a tactic pioneered by activist group Safe Street Rebel in 2023 — when self-driving cars first hit the streets in San Francisco — Santa Mo ... Read full article.