Polis is a network of European cities and regions working together to develop innovative technologies and policies for local transport. Since 1989, European local and regional authorities have been working together within Polis to promote sustainable mobility through the deployment of innovative transport solutions.
Polis aim is to improve local transport through integrated strategies that address the economic, social and environmental dimensions of transport. To this end, Polis supports the exchange of experiences and the transfer of knowledge between European local and regional authorities. It also facilitates the dialogue between local and regional authorities and other actors of the sector such as industry, research centres and universities, and NGOs.
Karen Vancluysen is secretary general of Polis and Kevin Borras, editor-in-chief of Thinking Cities wonder just how autonomous a city needs to be to meet the pressing mobility needs of its citizens:
Here you can donwload the e-paper of thinking cities volume 3, issue 2, 2016.
What role can automated vehicles play in cities? There are substantial research and development activities worldwide and claims made by at least one vehicle manufacturer that autonomous vehicles will be on the roads within the next five years.
This begats several rather interesting questions: Firstly, just how feasible is that? Secondly, is this something that cities actually want and are preparing for? Are cities considering where automation can contribute to their vision of their future? And should cities be actively engaging in these developments or should they remain an observe?
Cities are striving to reduce the amount of cars that are increasingly congesting their streets and giving rise to air quality and pollution issues. Replacing driven vehicles with automated vehicles will not solve the problems of congestion and deliver the goal of more liveable cities. In fact, research by the OECD shows that, if anything, the automation of cars could lead to an increase in the number of kilometres travelled. If the increased road capacity that automation is slated to deliver is not managed sufficiently (and efficiently) cities could be creating a whole range of new problems as the additional space created would need to fit into the existing mix of urban mobility infrastructures already in place. Furthermore, the OECD study also shows that while highways could benefit the most out of automation, its application at urban and suburban levels would mostly benefit passenger and delivery shuttles, as well as taxis, all of which typically operate at low speeds. Additional challenges arise when cities are confronted with automated vehicle-related conundrums that, while they may appear to be some years away from being addressable, need to be considered now. For example, what might be the impact of automated functions on vehicle movements and traffic management? What might be the impact of automation and road safety, particularly on vulnerable road users?
There are also a number of infrastructure aspects that cannot be ignored:
Physical aspects, such as road markings, parked cars and other obstacles require vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-infrastructure communications equipment, ground-based units for global navigation systems, dedicated facilities comparable to bus and bicycle lanes, on-street parking restrictions, and specific roadway or pavement modifications. Digital aspects would include quandaries such as what data is required from road/traffic authorities and what is actually feasible. There are also questions regarding the maintenance of highly detailed roadway maps and pertinent traffic operations data.Another point worth noting is the change in behaviour that will be required by the citizens themselves in terms of simple road rules. Think about the last time you crossed a road in a city – how much information did you take in aurally before crossing? It’s surprising how much your decision to cross a road is influenced by sound: you recognise the sound of a car slowing down or changing down a gear even though you may not be able to see it. This certainly won’t be an instinct you will be able to rely upon when autonomous, electric vehicles start to populate our city streets. There are of course a huge number of positive effects that autonomous cities will have on our lives. We all know the statistics that prove that an enormous percentage of vehicular accidents are caused by human error, so with the human element somewhat removed from the equation it will surely lead to a significant reduction in the number of crashes, and that can only be a good thing. And what about autonomous public transport? One recent tragic event that occurred very close to H3B Media’s headquarters, the Croydon tram crash that claimed the lives of seven people and resulted in many more seriously injured, appears to have been the result of, if not human error, the lack of human intervention. If the driver fell asleep or blacked out due to a medical condition then the arguments for driverless public transit systems and services will only be strengthened (Lyon Metro’s Line D and the Docklands Light Railway in London serve as a case in point).In the autonomous vehicle world one of the most talked-about elements is the level of automation and what is appropriate for trucks and passenger vehicles. This also applies to public transit. The defined levels range from Level 1 (basic driver assistance) to Level 5 (full automation). Human drivers monitor the driving environment in Levels 1 and 2, while for Levels 3-5 the driving environment is monitored by the automated driving system itself. Could these levels of automation be applied to cities as well as vehicles.