Waymo Says Activists Stopping Robo-Taxis With Traffic Cones Is ‘Vandalism’

Videos have popped up on Twitter and TikTok this week showing activists in San Francisco placing traffic cones on the hoods of robo-taxis owned by companies like Waymo and Cruise, stopping the vehicles in their tracks. And those companies are not happy about it, with a spokesperson for Waymo going so far as to call it “vandalism.”

“All you need is a cone and an AV,” the TikTok explains, using the abbreviation for an autonomous vehicle. “Gently place the cone on the hood—you just created a temporary traffic calming!”

The video has racked up over 900,000 views on Twitter alone, with a mix of comments from users, both for and against robo-taxis. But the companies that operate these vehicles are displeased with the social media exposure, to say the least.

“Not only is this understanding of how AVs operate incorrect, but this is vandalism and encourages unsafe and disrespectful behavior on our roadways. We will notify law enforcement of any unwanted or unsafe interference of our vehicles on public roadways,” Waymo spokesperson Katherine Barma told me over email.

I asked for clarification about whether traffic cones can actually stop Waymo vehicles when they’re placed on top of the hood, since Waymo seemed to be suggesting they couldn’t, but I have yet to hear back.

A spokesperson for Cruise, which also operates robo-taxis in San Francisco, sent a long list of bullet points touting the company’s safety record via email.

“Cruise’s safety record is strong and we’re proud of it: 3 million driverless miles without a single fatality or life-threatening injury,” the Cruise spokesperson wrote.

“Cruise’s fleet provides free rides to late-night service workers without more reliable transportation options, has delivered over 2 million meals to food insecure San Franciscans, and recovers food waste from local businesses. Intentionally obstructing vehicles gets in the way of those efforts and risks creating traffic congestion for local residents,” the Cruise spokesperson explained.

Self-driving vehicles have been a controversial addition to San Francisco streets in recent years, with opponents arguing it effectively makes everyone an involuntary beta tester in the real world.

But the robot-taxi companies insist their vehicles are safe. Waymo directed me to a blog post from the company’s chief safety officer Mauricio Peña celebrating its safety record. The blog post explains that robotic drivers are often better than human drivers, but fails to mention a dog that was killed by a Waymo vehicle in May, according to the Guardian.

And that’s the difficulty when it comes to robo-taxis. As I wrote a decade ago when driverless cars were starting to make real progress, autonomous vehicles are expected to be perfect. No doubt many human drivers have accidentally killed dogs in San Francisco over the years, but there’s someone to blame in that scenario. In the case of robo-taxis, the idea of accountability—and by extension, the concept of what amounts to justice when someone is hurt—becomes less clear.

It should be noted that I haven’t seen any coordinated anti-robo-taxi activism crop up in placed like Phoenix, Arizona or Austin, Texas, the other two big markets where autonomous vehicles are being extensively tested.

The anti-AV activists, who call themselves “Safe Street Rebel” on TikTok, want residents of San Francisco to attend a meeting to provide their thoughts about robo-taxis on July 13. The California Public Utilities Commission is holding the meeting to get public comment before voting on an expansion of the rules that allow autonomous vehicles on city streets. As the Cruise spokesperson pointed out to me over email, the meeting is about whether these driverless car companies will be able to charge a fare “for operations that Cruise already performs.”