Maintaining Livability in the Age of Autonomous Cars

An article in Streetsblog USA ponders the future of livable streets as autonomous vehicles start becoming more common on U.S. roads. 

As the article explains, “Many sustainable transportation advocates fear that the era of autonomous vehicles will spur us to even further optimize our streets for the efficient operation of machines rather than the cultivation of experiences that make us fully human.” But is it possible to center livability and “make the robo-cars work for us?” the article asks. Streetsblog’s Kea Wilson discusses the issue on The Brake podcast with Dr. Bruce Appleyard, author of Liveable Streets 2.0.

For Appleyard, the worst-case scenario is clear: autonomous cars could lead to more driving, more congestion, and a higher incentive to use vehicles and drive farther. “And what we also see from other studies about autonomous vehicles is that people probably aren't going to pay for the parking of the vehicle, but they're actually gonna continuously cruise,” potentially leading to fleets of self-driving cars creating air pollution and congestion, likely in the most disadvantaged neighborhoods, Appleyard says.

To combat these dangers, Appleyard suggests that “we need to make sure we're very mindful and deliberate in how we go forward to make sure that we maintain both our street livability and our street humanity.” For Appleyard, livability isn’t just about safety and mobility, but “It's how are you being cradled by your environment and encouraged by your environment to, to be at ease, at peace and in a rest restful rejuvenating state.”