RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 4 sourcesIf you're on the roads in Phoenix these days, you may have started seeing Waymo vehicles once again on your local freeway, according to a Waymo X post .
Freeways are back! We’re gradually resuming freeway routes for faster rides — starting today in Phoenix, with more cities to follow. Express interest in the Waymo app for access. https://t.co/2OS6q26876 pic.twitter.com/0O9kE7yNGJ
Freeway service from Waymo only rolled out late last year , but judging from social media comments, riders got used to it. Some users were so unsatisfied with the temporarily freeway-less version of Waymo, they reported switching to other services like Uber .
Last month, a spokesperson for the robotaxi giant Waymo told Gizmodo it had "voluntarily restricted freeway operations" in May. It had also, it said, "proactively notified state and federal regulators, and decided to file a voluntary software recall with NHTSA.”
In the accompanying report , the complete description of the defect leading to the recall tells an unpleasant story:
Description of the defect or noncompliance:
Under certain circumstances, the AV may enter and drive at speed in freeway construction zones due to inappropriately prioritizing the avoidance of other freeway hazards and/or failing to recognize the construction zone.
Description of the safety risk, including crash, fire, death, injury:
Driving at speed in a freeway construction zone increases the potential for collisions.
But apparently that's all been fixed now, and a Waymo could once again merge in front of you at any time—yes, even near a construction zone. According to a statement Waymo emailed to TechCrunch , Waymo will be “resuming freeway operations across its entire service area, including areas with construction, after implementing software updates designed to improve performance around freeway construction zones.” A spokesperson apparently also told TechCrunch that freeway service would resume in San Francisco and Los Angeles in a matter of days.
In San Francisco, Waymo's reputation is struggling a bit at the moment. On the 4th of July, a major traffic snafu was blamed on Waymo when onlookers captured video of Waymo vehicles appearing to block streets just after the Golden Gate Bridge fireworks display. The situation appears to have helped lead to a push locally for nationwide legislation aimed at regulating robotaxis.
A statement from Waymo just after the July 4 incident said, "On July 4th, extreme traffic congestion in Northern San Francisco disrupted normal operations for several Waymo vehicles."
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