Dozens of self-driving Waymo vehicles have been invading an Atlanta neighborhood and circling a cul-de-sac for hours without any passengers in the back, bewildered neighbors said.
A seemingly unending stream of Waymos have been rolling through a quiet, dead-end street in Northwest Atlanta in recent weeks, looping around the cul-de-sac — usually early in the morning — and clogging the road when residents tried to stop them.
“I think yesterday morning, we had 50 cars that came through between 6 and 7 [a.m.],” one neighbor, who did not provide her name, told WSB-TV on Thursday.
The issue has extended to other streets in the area, residents said.
At one point, neighbors on Battleview Drive put up a slow-down sign in the middle of the road to stop the Waymos from circling around — but that proved to be a new disaster.
“We had, at one point, eight Waymos that were stuck trying to figure out how to turn around,” the neighbor said.
Video provided to WSB-TV shows a long line of Waymos bumper-to-bumper, each flashing lights and blaring a noise indicating its way is blocked.
Waymos, which have exploded in popularity in cities across the US, have no passengers and are not picking anyone up on the street, locals said.
The sudden influx of driverless traffic has parents worried.
“We’re families, we have small animals and pets, got kids getting on the bus in the morning and it just doesn’t feel safe to have that traffic,” the concerned woman said.
Residents have contacted Waymo but said they have not heard back. They’ve also reached out to local elected officials and the Georgia Department of Transportation.
Waymo, which is owned by Alphabet, a subsidiary of Google, said it has “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,” the company said in a statement.
“We value our relationship with Atlanta residents and remain focused on providing a seamless, respectful, and safe experience for riders and residents alike.”
Waymo, which has been plagued by issues since its national launch, now has vehicles on the ground in 11 US markets and is regularly seen in cities like San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Austin, and Miami.
Just this week, Waymo recalled nearly 4,000 of its autonomous vehicles after identifying a bug that allowed them to drive into standing water.
In 2025, the company recalled more than 1,200 units in its fleet over another software bug that had the potential to make the robotic vehicles more likely to crash into gates and other obstacles.