In those US cities where local authorities have allowed the operation of unmanned taxis, even in test mode, situations are constantly observed with taxis congesting in one place, which begins to interfere with other road users. In Texas, a similar precedent was recently caught on camera, once again demonstrating the imperfection of Cruise’s control algorithms.
Image Source: Reddit, Damnthatsinteresting
As noted in the Electrek publication, during rush hour in one of the Austin neighborhoods, through which one of the few available routes that allowed travel that day from the north to the south of the city and back ran, one of the prototypes of a driverless taxi was unable to complete the turn maneuver on narrow streets. at the intersection, effectively blocking traffic in three directions. Since there were many other robotic taxis moving around the area at this moment, they began to create traffic jams, patiently waiting for the conditions to arise to continue moving along the trajectories prescribed by traffic rules.
According to Cruise representatives, at that time there was an increased demand for taxi services in the area, so there were too many taxis in one place, and the on-board navigation system did not provide short enough alternative routes to detour. Operators had to intervene and manually redirect cars along less optimal routes, which, under the current conditions, became the only convenient ones for avoiding the disadvantaged area. As a result, all the taxis dispersed, but it took some time to clear the jam. No pedestrians, passengers or vehicles were injured as a result of the incident, except that many motorists had to spend time in traffic jams.
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