The autonomous vehicle revolution was, according to its proponents, meant to have transformed daily travel by now. But they underestimated the task of developing a safe, truly driverless vehicle.
Autonomous vehicles can only travel at speed at close quarters in the absence of human drivers, cyclists and pedestrians.
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Self-driving vehicles that constantly roam the streets looking for passengers could overwhelm cities. But, if kept in check, these vehicles could be useful for improving urban transport.
Car owners’ attachment to driving and the willingness of others to switch from public transport could confound rosy predictions for autonomous vehicles.
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Scenarios based on a survey of Adelaide commuters and analyses of traffic flows show it’s possible the congestion could get worse in the transition to driverless vehicles.
Trains and trams get most attention, but ‘tweaking’ bus transit can transform cities. Buses can be more cost-effective and deliver better service, especially for small to mid-sized cities.
Would you be – or feel – safer if one of these people were a robot?
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Self-driving, shared, electric vehicles and increasing urban density represent four disruptions that will transform city life. But a transport utopia isn’t a guaranteed outcome of their interactions.
Australia could benefit from driverless car development and technology.
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Traditional car manufacturing may have gone from Australia with a loss of jobs, but one senior figure in the motor industry sees a potential for new jobs thanks to driverless cars.
We are told driverless cars will be much safer, because human error causes more than 90% of crashes.
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Human-operated cars affect health in three main ways, all negatively. How might driverless cars be healthier?
The first autonomous vehicles are already upon us, but once their use becomes widespread they will change cities as surely as the original cars did.
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It’s clear autonomous vehicles will disrupt our cities, their land use and planning. Whether they make urban life better or worse depends on how well we anticipate and adapt to their impacts.
Will AI take over the world or lead to a bright future for humanity?
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There’s every chance that, if mismanaged, driverless vehicle technologies will entrench the ills of car dependency.
This Melbourne traffic jam shows the system’s vulnerability to congestion. A data-based integrated transport approach may help it cope better with inevitable disruptions.
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