A group of Australian academics are suggesting that dedicated lanes for driverless vehicles would enable cities to be better prepared for their introduction.
The Sydney Morning Herald reports that the University of New South Wales Research Centre for Integrated Transport Innovation found transport networks unprepared for driverless cars would disrupt the experiences of all users, suggesting dedicated autonomous vehicle lanes could improve the overall safety and traffic flow of roads.
“There are very little provisions … to help facilitate these kinds of vehicles, and the reason behind that I’d say is because no one really knows how things are going to change when these vehicles with automation actually hit the market,” the lead author of the report, Shantanu Chakraborty, is quoted by the SMH as saying.
“One of them could be dedicated lanes, where the vehicles can actually take these opportunities to get the best out of the system. So, if you do not facilitate or embrace this new technology, then we’ll never really move forward with these vehicles with automation.”
The report adds that Dr Chakraborty estimated it may still be a decade until fully autonomous vehicles can be safely introduced for public use, saying a “step-by-step” transition will be crucial to removing psychological barriers and gaining acceptance from road users.
(Picture – Tesla)
