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Residents and visitors in Atlanta are no strangers to the invasion of driverless cars in the city.Waymo has been operating in Atlanta for the better part of a year, slowly expanding the range of its vehicles and mapping out parts of the city. Uber users can choose to call a Waymo vehicle anytime they call for a ride within the city, and they are a common sight outside major sporting events and concerts as people wait for their rides.But now, one neighborhood in the northwest side of the city says that a parade of empty Waymo vehicles has been arriving in their cul-de-sac in the mornings — and they don't know why.Dozens of Waymo vehicles appear in neighborhoodResidents of the Battleview Drive cul-de-sac, just west of I-75 on the northern side of the city, told local news outlets they recorded more than a dozen Waymo vehicles driving through their neighborhood early in the morning, not carrying passengers.One resident told WSB-TV that as many as 50 vehicles drove into the neighborhood between 6-7 a.m. on a single day.In a video obtained by Atlanta News First, 13 Waymo vehicles pass a home in less than 10 minutes.At one point, a resident placed a traffic sign in the middle of the road to try to stop the vehicles from coming in, and as many as eight vehicles became stuck trying to figure out a way to turn around.Residents told local outlets the issue has gotten worse in the past few weeks, and that their attempts to reach out to Waymo to explain why the vehicles keep showing up initially went unanswered. Residents are concerned their neighborhood has been chosen as a place for Waymo vehicles to train or be kept during non-busy times.In a statement made to WSB-TV, Waymo said the company was "committed to being good neighbors.""We take community feedback seriously and have already addressed this routing behavior. With over 500,000 weekly trips across the country, our service is proven to significantly reduce traffic injuries and improve road safety. We value our relationship with Atlanta residents and remain focused on providing a seamless, respectful, and safe experience for riders and residents alike," the company said.Waymo has had issues in Atlanta beforeIt's not the first time trust between Atlanta residents and the driverless car service has been tested.In February, a Waymo vehicle was recorded entering a live crime scene in Atlanta. A reporter with 11Alive filmed the vehicle as it appeared to pass police cars and emergency vehicles before stopping in the road.When asked about the incident, Waymo told USA TODAY the vehicle had been navigating a parking lot and had driven into a lane that had not been blocked off. The vehicle came to a stop when it recognized emergency vehicles, and the roadside assistance team was called, in accordance with Waymo protocol.Last year, the Atlanta Public Schools reported six occasions where a Waymo vehicle passed stopped school buses.Waymo previously announced a software update aimed at increasing the safety of the vehicles around buses, among other updates, but incidents have continued to occur in other cities like Austin, Texas, after the update took place, according to a letter from their school district. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has been investigating the cases.Irene Wright is the Atlanta Connect reporter with USA Today’s Deep South Connect team. Find her on X @IreneEWright or email her at ismith@usatodayco.com.
