What happened
On a Sunday morning in September 2026, at about 8:15, around 160 sellers were setting up the South Pearl Street Farmers Market in Denver.
There was a “Road Closed” sign on one side of the street. The other side was still open so sellers could drive in. A Waymo self-driving taxi followed a seller’s vehicle past the sign and into the market.
It drove slowly down the path between the tents, stopping when people were near. Market staff guided it back out to the street.
Why it went wrong
The car copied the vehicle in front of it, which was allowed in. It did not understand that the sign meant the street was closed to it. A person driving would have seen the tents and stopped.
Impact
- Nobody was hurt. The market’s production director said, “It was not anything that made us nervous.”
- It was still a car driving through a space full of people on foot.
The lesson
- Following the car in front is not always right. Some vehicles are allowed where others are not.
- Signs and setting both matter. Tents and crowds should mean “stop,” whatever the road map says.
- Slow and careful helped here. The car crept and stopped near people, which is why this ended well.