<\/p>\n
A Waymo parked near the Ferry Building in San Francisco on June 7, 2025.<\/p>\n
Matthew Raifman<\/p>\n
A Waymo parked in a bike lane near the Ferry Building on June 7, 2025.<\/p>\n
Mathew Raifman<\/p>\n
Cyclists in San Francisco have noticed something new about the cars illegally parking in bike lanes: They don\u2019t always have drivers.<\/p>\n
That was apparent when a video circulated this week on the social media site Reddit<\/a>, showing a Waymo<\/a> robotaxi parked in the green cycling zone near Oracle ballpark. The car sits with its lights blinking as an electric scooter and a cyclist weave perilously around it, along with other motorists who have to change lanes to avoid the obstruction.<\/p>\n \u201cC\u2019mon Waymo. We love you, but don\u2019t do this,\u201d the poster commented. \u201cThis is straight up illegal and dangerous. Do better.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The footage sparked an uproar from bicyclists who decried the dangerous behavior and argued that Waymo, with its technological sophistication, should be designed to follow every traffic rule. California law<\/a> generally prohibits motor vehicles from stopping in bike lanes, with specific exceptions for tow trucks, garbage collection, newspaper delivery, public utility work or emergencies.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are looking into our pick up and drop-off performance in this location,\u201d a spokesperson for Waymo wrote in a statement to the Chronicle, indicating that Waymo\u2019s complex suite of sensors and cameras has to balance many factors in real-time, including the safety of passengers and other road users.\u00a0<\/p>\n San Francisco Chronicle Logo<\/p>\n Make us a Preferred Source to get more of our news when you search.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Add Preferred Source<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n \u201cPick-up and drop-off is a complex challenge,\u201d the statement continued. \u201cWe support efforts to establish more loading zones for passenger vehicles on busy streets, as well as efforts to further protect bike lanes\u201d from any impediment.<\/p>\n Representatives of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency agreed that robotaxis and other ride-hail vehicles should use loading zones, and pointed out that human drivers risk a citation if an officer sees them violating the law. Former Mayor London Breed tried cracking down on motorists who park in bike lanes with an enforcement blitz that led to 1,000 tickets<\/a> issued in March of 2025. Then the city retreated, handing out less than 300 tickets a month in the latter half of the year.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Some observers defended the autonomous vehicle in the video, arguing that passenger drop-offs in bike lanes are a normal practice on city roads. A few contend that it\u2019s the job of city enforcement officers, not private companies, to discourage this type of infraction. Indeed, a new state law<\/a> set to take effect in July will enable police to ticket autonomous vehicles. If Mayor Daniel Lurie wants to replicate the hard-line approach of his predecessor, he could apply it to machines as much as to people.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not Waymo\u2019s fault that breaking the law has become standard practice,\u201d said cycling advocate Matthew Lewis. \u201cUltimately,\u201d he added, \u201cthis is about the city.\u201d<\/p>\n Yet the Reddit video certainly was not the first documented instance of a self-driving car blocking a cyclists\u2019 path. Last year a woman sued Waymo<\/a> and its parent company, Alphabet, saying she was seriously injured when one of the autonomous vehicles parked in her marked bike lane on Seventh Street. According to the lawsuit filed by Jennifer Hanki, a passenger in the Waymo popped the back door open, hitting Hanki\u2019s bike and knocking her into a second Waymo that was also in the bike pathway. The case is ongoing in San Francisco Superior Court.<\/p>\n