Will autonomous vehicles create a utopian or dystopian world? This is a question that Lauren Isaac, Manager of Sustainable Transportation – WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff has been thinking about for a couple of years. Her thoughts on the topic can be found on her blog and, as she explains in the above video, a guide she created to help governments plan for the autonomous future.
She recommends that planners:
- Educate themselves on the state of autonomy
- Talk to and understand what sort of partnerships could be created with the autonomous technology and transportation companies
- Update travel demand models to reflect the addition of autonomous cars
Isaac also suggests that policymakers can influence how autonomous vehicles impact land-use in multiple ways, including:
- Taxing vehicle miles traveled
- Charging for parking or providing incentives for not parking
- Providing incentives to encourage ride-sharing
As she alludes to, done correctly, autonomous transportation offers the potential to create better cities.
Note: In the above video, there is an excerpt of GM’s vision from the 1950s showing the future of autonomy. To see the entire, entertaining version, click on the link below.