The National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) reported that it has a particular vision for autonomous vehicles and their future role in our cities. While municipalities do take recommendations from NACTO for guidance, they are not automatically forced to comply with it.
Their report outlines a plan that would dramatically reduce the speed that self-driving cars travel (an upper-limit of 20 mph), this way pedestrians would be able to cross the street at any location on the street, instead of at crosswalks at intersections only. Major cities would experience a reduction in their top speeds. Trip times could be extended dramatically, which many patrons would not approve of. However, self-driving cars would automatically slow down when someone is crossing the road, which would not only change the meaning of jaywalking but could save many lives.
The authors of the report would like for the very function of streets to change through the integration of autonomous cars. This plan favors the most vulnerable parties on streets everywhere: people walking and on bikes.
Today, pedestrians typically have to go at least some additional distance out of their way if they would like to cross the road. However, this has not always been the primary way to maneuver foot traffic. More than one hundred years ago when vehicles first began appearing on roads, it was not unusual to cross the road in the middle of the block. “Jaywalker” first became a derogatory term in 1920, it was used when a person was not aware of the correct way to walk through a city. At this time, the term was controversial. In certain circumstances, Boy Scouts would even give jaywalkers cards, which forewarned them of their unsafe behavior. In 1925, it became illegal to jaywalk and people soon were detained for the offense.
This report by the NACTO also cautions that transportation may have a different future at stake, according to how government and city policies are instituted. Bridges may have to be erected for pedestrians if emissions and extreme levels of traffic continue to increase rapidly. The Self-Driving Coalition for Safer Streets believes that self-driving cars should be given the same rights as people, and should be allowed to follow the same speed limit. This organization speaks for car enterprises that have self-driving cars, including Volvo, Ford, Uber, and Waymo.
While certain individuals believe that autonomous cars will dramatically shift busy city life, there are still specifics in regards to technology that will need to be determined. Cities might end up having to choose between prioritizing their streets, pedestrians, or vehicles.
This opportunity to recover the streets and fix mistakes that urban planning made is significant, and cities should consider how they may benefit from a reduced pedestrian accident rate while still making it somewhat quick to get around. “Any plan of improvement that prioritizes saving lives should be considered” says John Tumelty from the Law Offices of John W. Tumelty. It could save many lives and shift the way similar future decisions are made.
