San Francisco's Fourth of July waterfront celebration delivered picture-perfect scenery, only to end in a chaotic trip home that dragged on for hours.
According to NBC Bay Area, some people leaving after the fireworks over the Golden Gate Bridge wound up trapped due to stalled robotaxis, illegal fireworks, and emergency crews.
What happened?
Crowds filled Crissy Field and around the Presidio for the holiday display, and the easygoing atmosphere vanished once it was time to head out.
Severe congestion snarled the area, and several Waymo cars became stuck, worsening the backup and leaving some departing attendees unable to get out for hours.
Rose Peterson said her autonomous ride made a really unwise decision.
"We were pulling up to a four-way stop, and this guy was shooting off a firework in the middle of the road, and then our Waymo starts driving, and we're like 'Wait, what's happening?'" she said, per NBC Bay Area.
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Dave Guingona, another person at the event, said the standstill only became more tense as time passed.
"Five minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes went by, then we realized people were getting out of their cars, yelling and screaming at these Waymos because there were no drivers," he said, per NBC Bay Area.
Guingona said Waymo staff did not begin manually driving the vehicles away until nearly two hours later.
Firefighters across San Francisco were dealing with a separate crush of problems at the same time, responding to more than 500 calls. Those included four wildfire incidents connected to fireworks, several outside fires, a vehicle fire suspected of being caused by illegal fireworks, and two life-changing fireworks injuries.
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Why does it matter?
While the idea of electric-powered autonomous transportation has the potential to reduce vehicle-related pollution and make journeys easier, the technology obviously has some kinks to work out.
Instances like this suggest the technology might be moving too quickly to deployment, with issues related to safety and high-traffic events causing problems.
Meanwhile, if stalled robotaxis exacerbate congestion, that could block emergency services from responding to incidents such as wildfires or personal injuries.
What's being done?
Waymo told NBC Bay Area that extreme congestion after the fireworks interfered with several of its vehicles and that teams worked with city officials to clear them from the area.
The company also said that it is reviewing the fireworks-related incident and remains committed to learning from situations like this.
The holiday problems also prompted fire officials to repeat their warning about fireworks sold as "safe."
In dense neighborhoods, even small explosives can spark fires, damage vehicles, and cause devastating injuries in seconds.
"That situation could've had a far worse outcome — not only for the individuals in the car that could've been injured or worse — but for the individuals who lit the fireworks," Captain Jonathan Baxter said, per NBC Bay Area.
For Guingona, the spectacle for him and his visiting friends was ultimately eclipsed by the ensuing gridlock.
"They had a great time, but this is what they're going to remember for the rest of their lives," he told the outlet. "This was unbelievable."
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