Autonomous vehicle disruption
By: J. David Chapman/March 29, 2018
The momentum that autonomous vehicle technology had enjoyed the last few years recently took a hit when a woman in Tempe, Arizona, was struck and killed by a driverless vehicle. Much of the attention and many of the questions raised from the tragic event have fallen on planners and developers of the built environment.
It is becoming more obvious that when, or if, AV technology is ever to become commonplace in our urban environments it is going to require the designers of the built environment infrastructure to work with ride-hailing application companies, car manufactures, and technology giants to ensure our roads, land use, streetscape, building setbacks, pedestrian corridors, bike lanes, and parking requirements are ready for the sea-change effects of driverless vehicles.
One question we are considering is whether or not autonomous vehicles should actually share the road with human-operated vehicles or have a dedicated lane. My personal opinion is dedicated lanes are not an option in urban environments. While I can see this working on highways like we observe with HOV and bus lanes, there simply is not enough space on urban streets for a dedicated corridor for AVs. I also predict a growing resentment from new-urbanist and pro-biking organizations if dedicated lanes for AVs impede the growing emphasis on dedicated bike lanes and skinny streets initiatives.
Cities will also be forced to upgrade intersections, allowing AVs to connect with traffic signals to ensure safe passage. Crosswalks and speed zones that frequently change such as school zones and construction zones will be forced to be sensor-equipped to communicate to the vehicles.
This latest setback, as tragic as it is, will not prevent AV technology from progressing. The advantages and opportunities in regard to AV technology are huge, as is their impact to the built environment. AV technology is already here and saving lives.
I just drove a rental car from Houston to Oklahoma City. It was equipped with cruise-control technology that would automatically brake when approaching a car in front of me and then accelerate once it was clear. It would also warn the driver should you unexpectedly cross into the other lane. These safety aspects along with the opportunities to redevelop empty parking lots in urban environments make the AV proposition intriguing; however, planners and developers will need to endure the risks and disruption it creates.
J. David Chapman is an associate professor of finance and real estate at the University of Central Oklahoma (jchapman7@uco.edu).