Confused Waymo robotaxi snarls traffic at popular LA festival after it panics and stalls
A Waymo driverless car snarled traffic at a popular holiday parade in Los Angeles on Sunday — after it glitched out and stalled on a bridge.
The robotaxi caused a 45-minute traffic jam at the Venice Canals Boat Parade, a lively local tradition where festively decorated vessels float through the man-made waterways.
The Waymo vehicle apparently panicked and froze on a narrow bridge that crosses the boat parade because it was confused by the crowd of pedestrians gathered to watch the festival, according to a clip shared on social media by a parade-goer.
It backed up traffic for at least a mile, the onlooker said.
The high-tech taxi eventually began to inch across the bridge slowly as the throng of people cheered, the footage shows.
However, by the time the befuddled robocar crossed the bridge, the decades-old parade had seen the last of the boats in the parade pass.
Waymo driverless vehicles have been known to stall in scenarios dubbed “AI standoffs” — where cars get confused by each other or unclear situations, leading to temporary gridlocks until remote support or an employee intervenes.
And that’s not the only mischief the bots-on-wheels stir up. Last week, a mom in LA ordered one of the bots-on-wheels for her daughter, only to find a man hiding in the trunk.
Another woman in San Francisco also gave birth in one of the unmanned cars.
The Post reached out to Waymo but didn’t immediately hear back.
