Stacking Waymo Cars Has Become a Defiant Tactic From Annoyed Santa Monica Residents

Self-driving cars are not popular all over the country just yet, but there are already places in America where they are increasingly common. In many places, those cars are Waymo vehicles that come from Google, and while some people love them, they've become increasingly divisive.

According to a report in Newser, some people who live near Waymo charging stations have become so annoyed by the vehicles that they have resorted to "stacking" them. Naturally, many wanted to know what "stacking" a Waymo actually means. Here's what we know.

According to the Newser report, people who live near Waymo car charging have found their ears under constant assault by the beeping of Waymo vehicles. The vehicles beep when they're backing in, when they're pulling out, and at all hours of the night. The noise was within the levels acceptable by the city, and so there was not much that could be done about it.

Because no one was stopping the beeping, people in the area decided to take matters into their own hands, placing traffic cones, other cars, or even their own bodies between the Waymo cars and the parking lot where they charged. As a result, the cars couldn't charge, and they also couldn't beep. This tactic also left Waymo cars forming something of a line as they attempted to get into the lot, which has become known as "stacking" the Waymos.

"We strive to be good neighbors," a spokesperson from Waymo said, explaining that the company had taken steps to try to limit the noise. Those steps included buying quieter vacuums to clean out the cars, and buying bamboo stands that absorb some of the noise. Of course, some of the sounds, including the beeping while backing up, are required by law, so there's only so much that can be done about them.

Although some residents, specifically in Santa Monica, seem to really hate the presence of Waymos in their communities, the vehicles are nonetheless growing increasingly common across the country. These autonomous vehicles seem to come with some benefits, and they certainly feel futuristic for those who have never experienced anything like them before.

Still, the interference humans have intentionally put in the way of the Waymo vehicles suggests that there's mounting tension between people and the technology that is supposed to serve them. Waymos may be a net positive for some people, but if you believe that the noise is as much of a problem as locals claim it is, they've caused problems of their own.

Waymo stacking is certainly annoying for both traffic and for Google, but it's not the kind of disruptive act that hurts anyone. Stacking Waymos is hopefully fairly innocent, although it's undoubtedly going to become a bigger problem for Google if nothing is done to prevent it from escalating. While these people are doing it for specific reasons, you don't necessarily need one to get in a Waymo's way.