Edging into the middle section is a common maneuver that humans do all the time. It puts you closer to the other side, so that it is easier to cross the road.
Perhaps, I'd be a little freaked out if I were in the truck. The Waymo does some weird stuff on unprotected lefts. It's inexplicable to me.
I disagree. It's not common for people to wait in an oncoming traffic lane for an unprotected left. Maybe it's common in people who drive unsafely.
Thing is with a regular car, you can see the driver in most cases (I guess unless you have fully tinted windows). You can judge a bit from seeing their eyes, are they looking at you, did they notice you, are they pulling forward blindly. With an autonomous car you don't have any clues. I think that is going to be weird. Perhaps someone will put in a visual indication. Edit: ok I guess that's already a thing. "Autonomous Vehicle Visual Signals for Pedestrians" etc. https://media.ford.com/content/fordmedia/feu/en/news/2019/02/06/ford-tests-light-based-visual-language-that-could-help-autonomou.html
Do Waymo employees just follow these cars around? I think they would have to respond quickly to move the car out of the way They may block the wrong person in
Krafcik posted a pic of the Waymo I-Pace with the latest 5th gen hardware, painted in black. Looks really good IMO!