Experiences with Autonomous Vehicle in U.S. Cities

Research Team: Junshan Zhang (lead), Mollie Cohen D'Agostino, Cooper Michael, and Prashanth Venkataram

UC Campus(es): UC Davis

Problem Statement: In the coming decades, advancements in connected and automated vehicles (CAVs) have the potential to transform communities and mobility. As these technologies progress, policymakers and practitioners will need tools and information to proactively design policies, actions, and practices that will avoid potential negative impacts and unintended consequences and facilitate sustainable and equitable outcomes.

Project Description: This project convened a series of meetings and workshops to prioritize listening to multi-sector stakeholders from local government, advocacy, and industry in US cities where autonomous vehicles are operating. The objective was to listen and learn from all stakeholders, raise issues surrounding accessibility and equity, and to solicit responses. Key findings from the workshops include a consensus across the three sectors on the need for good channels of multi-stakeholder communication, and voices across all sectors agreed on the importance of disability access and serving diverse populations. Many parties, representing voices from all sectors, recognized that federal regulatory activities appear to be moving too slowly. Preventing any roadway incidents is a priority for many stakeholders, and some suggest a playbook for handling day-to-day roadway issues and common standards for first-responder interactions. Disability access is a high priority across all sectors, and there many see nearer term to accommodations for blind, hearing-impaired riders, but the timeline for providing service to people with non-folding wheelchairs is less clear. There is also ongoing debate surrounding the limits of regulatory purview, the role for cities, and how to actualize equitable expansion into rural areas. There is more work to do to advance a multi-sector dialogue around the role for local governments and community-based organizations in shepherding a safe, equitable and sustainable expansion of autonomous vehicles.

Status: Completed

Budget: $20,000