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Preparing Cities for Robot Cars
The possibility of self-driving robot cars has often seemed like a
futurist's dream, years away from materializing in the real world. Well, the
future is apparently now. The California Department of Motor Vehicles began
giving permits in April for companies to test truly self-driving cars on public
roads. The state also cleared the way for companies to sell or rent out
self-driving cars, and for companies to operate driverless taxi services.
California, it should be noted, isn't leading the way here. Companies have been
testing their vehicles in cities across the country. It's hard to predict when
driverless cars will be everywhere on our roads. But however long it takes, the
technology has the potential to change our transportation systems and our
cities, for better or for worse, depending on how the transformation is
regulated.
While much of the debate so far has been focused on the safety of
driverless cars (and rightfully so), policymakers also should be talking about
how self-driving vehicles can help reduce traffic jams, cut emissions (排放) and offer more convenient,
affordable mobility options. The arrival of driverless vehicles is a chance to
make sure that those vehicles are environmentally friendly and more shared.
Do we want to copy—or even worsen—the traffic of today with driverless
cars? Imagine a future where most adults own individual self-driving vehicles.
They tolerate long, slow journeys to and from work on packed highways because
they can work, entertain themselves or sleep on the ride, which encourages
urban spread. They take their driverless car to an appointment and set the empty
vehicle to circle the building to avoid paying for parking. Instead of walking
a few blocks to pick up a child or the dry cleaning, they send the self-driving
minibus. The convenience even leads fewer people to take public transport—an
unwelcome side effect researchers have already found in ride-hailing (叫车) services.
A study from the University of California at Davis suggested that
replacing petrol-powered private cars worldwide with electric, self-driving and
shared systems could reduce carbon emissions from transportation 80% and cut
the cost of transportation infrastructure (基础设施)
and operations 40% by 2050. Fewer emissions and cheaper travel sound pretty
appealing. The first commercially available driverless cars will almost
certainly be fielded by ride-hailing services, considering the cost of
self-driving technology as well as liability and maintenance issues (责任与维护问题). But driverless car
ownership could increase as the prices drop and more people become comfortable
with the technology.
Policymakers should start thinking now about how to make sure the
appearance of driverless vehicles doesn't extend the worst aspects of the
car-controlled transportation system we have today. The coming technological
advancement presents a chance for cities and states to develop transportation
systems designed to move more people, and more affordably. The car of the
future is coming. We just have to plan for it.