A TikTok video that went viral on Monday showed a surprising scene in San Francisco: three Waymo driverless taxis stuck in a strange standoff on a dead-end street in the North Beach neighborhood. The clip quickly spread online, highlighting yet another awkward moment for autonomous vehicles navigating the city’s challenging roads.
Robotaxis Get Stuck on a Narrow North Beach Street
The incident happened early Saturday afternoon at Kearny and Vallejo Streets. In the video, bystanders can be seen watching with confusion as two Waymo cars appear to collide while trying to turn around on the steep, narrow road.
One car was headed uphill, while the other was sideways as if attempting a three-point turn. Their fenders appeared to touch, and both vehicles had their emergency lights flashing. A third Waymo coming downhill stopped behind them, making the jam even worse. The blocked robotaxi also trapped a resident’s car in their driveway.
‘Waymo Standoff’ Leaves Residents Confused
“I just pulled out of the garage and I saw this going on — it’s like this Waymo standoff,” a man says in the viral video. The camera then shows his car stuck behind the stopped robotaxi.
Waymo Responds: A ‘Teachable Moment’ for Robotaxis
In a follow-up clip, a Waymo service worker wearing an orange vest arrives, opens the door of the sideways car, and the robotaxi begins backing up on its own. This maneuver clears the space for the uphill Waymo to continue its route.
Waymo officials later confirmed that the two vehicles made “minor contact” while performing multi-point turns at the dead end. The company described the situation as a learning experience for its autonomous vehicles as they adapt to complicated real-world conditions.
Part of a Growing List of Waymo Incidents
This latest traffic jam adds to a series of recent high-profile Waymo mishaps:
- Robotaxis running over animals in separate incidents
- A police stop where a Waymo made an illegal U-turn during a DUI checkpoint
- Viral videos from other cities showing Waymos failing to slow or stop for school buses
Despite these issues, Waymo continues to expand. The company now operates more than a thousand self-driving cars across San Francisco, the Peninsula, and the South Bay. It recently received approval to run its robotaxis on freeways and serve both major Bay Area airports.
Conclusion
The viral Waymo traffic jam in North Beach highlights the ongoing challenges of integrating autonomous vehicles into busy, unpredictable city streets. While the company calls it a “teachable moment,” the incident has reignited debates about safety, reliability, and oversight as self-driving cars become more common across the Bay Area.
