Self driving cars in Houston stop, block intersection after thunderstorm turned all traffic lights red
Houston - Viewer images and videos taken Monday show self-driving cars stopped and blocking an intersection in Houston’s Montrose neighborhood.
"Three Cruise autonomous vehicles (AV) with no drivers were stopped at Hawthorne and Montrose," said Alexander Spike. "The vehicles did not understand that it had become a 4-way stop. [They] were waiting for the lights to turn green."
The incident occurred at the Montrose and Hawthorne intersection after a round of thunderstorms rolled through the area Monday evening. The lights at the intersection were all stuck on red. As a result, Spike says the self-driving cars stopped and blocked 3 of the 4 lanes at the intersection.
"[Traffic] was backed up," said Spike. "It took about 15 minutes to clear up. METRO had 2 or 3 buses backed up because of the trouble."
Spike shared photos from the incident with FOX 26. In the pictures, you can see the lights all red and Cruise vehicles stopped at the intersection.
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"This is a safety issue first and foremost," said Spike. "If an AV can’t figure out what’s going on and its context, how confident should I be that it will recognize me on foot or bicycle, and treat me as I’m expected [as a pedestrian]."
A spokesperson from Cruise tells FOX 26 that their vehicles are programmed to be cautious when driving in complex situations.
"Our vehicles were stopped at an intersection where the lights were not cycling and showed all red," said a Cruise spokesperson. "While some vehicles took a little time to safely navigate the intersection, all vehicles were able to clear the intersection autonomously. Safety is embedded in everything we do, and our vehicles are designed to adhere to traffic signals and follow rules of the road."
After the three vehicles moved away from the intersection, another one stopped and had a similar issue.
"A new one had stopped on the other side of the street," said Simon Newton. "All the lights were solid red. There were Houston police officers directing traffic with flashlights. The Cruise vehicle was just fully stopped."
Newton says a Houston police officer approached the self-driving car and tried ordering it to move.
"The officer shined its light at it and was tapping on the window, trying to get a response," said Newton. "It’s good the vehicle stopped for the solid red in all directions, but they obviously have trouble understanding a police officer, or traffic directions. So, there were other vehicles pulling up behind it, not knowing it was permanently stopped."
According to Newton, traffic wasn’t too bad at the time. However, he wonders what would happen in other, stressful situations with more traffic.
"There is a place for this technology," said Newton. "[However], I do have concerns that private companies are testing technology in the streets that may not be up to scratch yet. It seems like they need to improve their software, or sensors, to really be up to scratch with regular people drivers."
A Cruise spokesperson reiterated that their vehicles are on the side of caution during complex driving situations and pull over, or otherwise stop to stay safe.
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"The overwhelming majority of the time, our cars can proceed autonomously even though some may do so after a brief delay," said the Cruise spokesperson. "[In addition], our technology is designed to track all objects, and road users, and will maneuver in the safest way possible. Safety is our chief mission –– not only for our passengers but for everyone we share the road with."