I mirror the previous posters experience: the Waymos drive better than a good amount of people I know and to the the best of my knowledge haven't had any issues with pedestrians except being attacked by them once or twice.
So I'm not sure what you're referring to? Did I miss a story?
* the ones on the left and right show a Waymo passing by a pedestrian standing on the sidewalk next to the crosswalk while filming. As a human, I wouldn't have stopped, as there was no indication the pedestrian intends to enter the crosswalk.
* the one in the middle shows a human-driven car passing right by a pedestrian filming from a narrow median. I think the human driver probably should have stopped, as that narrow median is a stranger and more dangerous place for the pedestrian to hang out than the sidewalk. The Waymo in the middle lane, given that the human-driven car didn't stop? Don't see why they would, how would the pedestrian have reached them safely? I suppose there's an argument they should because one driver stopped at a crosswalk legally obligates other drivers to as well, but the human I mentioned was ahead of them...
As I understand it, the law is that the car (regardless of driver) needs to yield to a pedestrian who is crossing the street. But the pedestrian is responsible for that first step into the street. And think about it...how often do you see someone standing near the roadway, even near a crosswalk? I think often enough that traffic just wouldn't move if cars were expected to assume pedestrians were going to jump in front of them.
The text "I tried sticking one foot out, crossing in both heavy and light traffic, waving at the car and even pushing a baby stroller (without my baby!)." is more worrying, but...pics or it didn't happen? (In particular their suggesting it misbehaved in these videos makes me doubt the accuracy of their reported text...)
The article also says: "No Waymo car has hit me, or any other person walking in a San Francisco crosswalk — at least so far. (It did strike a cyclist earlier this year.)"
