By Patrick Hedlund
DNAinfo News Editor
MANHATTAN — Pop star Justin Bieber and President Barack Obama aren't the only ones contributing to gridlock.
Tech giant Google's fleet of camera-quipped cars were out on Manhattan streets this week, capturing images for the site's popular "Street View" feature that allows users to digitally navigate roads through the city.
New York was one of the first U.S. cities where Street View images became available, after the launch of Google Maps in 2007.
"Updating imagery is something that we do from time to time as part of our effort to provide our users with the richest, most up-to-date maps possible," said Google spokeswoman Anne Espiritu.
The driver behind the wheel of one Google car caught cruising on Stanton Street said he planned to drive every street in Manhattan this week, before heading to the Bronx, Queens and Staten Island.
"I got a lot of work ahead of me," noted the driver, who declined to give his name and said he took the job on a short-term basis.
His vehicle came topped with a state-of-the-art camera that swivels 360 degrees to document every detail of the blocks it covers.
Espiritu explained that any bystanders caught on camera have their features obscured "using cutting-edge face blurring technology, which helps make sure that passers-by in the photographs can't be identified."
The Street View feature has come under fire in recent years over privacy issues, and the company recently agreed to stop filming in the Indian city of Bangalore after local police expressed security concerns.
