Controlling Vehicles

The future health of urban areas depends on relieving traffic congestion. The average American spends around 51 hours a year stuck in traffic jams (and 102 hours in Los Angeles). Geographic tools, including the Global Positioning System (GPS) and electronic mapping, are playing central roles in the design of intelligent transportation systems, either through increasing road capacity or through reducing demand.

The current generation of innovative techniques to increase road capacity is aimed at providing drivers with information so that they can make intelligent decisions about avoiding congestion. Information about traffic congestion is transmitted through computers, handheld devices, and vehicle monitors. Traffic hot spots are displayed on electronic maps and images, using information collected through sensors in the roadbeds and cameras placed at strategic locations. An individual wishing to know about a particular route can program an electronic device to receive a congestion alert and to suggest alternatives. Radio stations in urban areas broadcast reports to advise motorists of accidents or especially congested highways. Demand to use congested roads is being reduced in a number of ways:

• Congestion charges. In London, motorists must pay a congestion charge of up to £11.50 ($15) to drive into the central area between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. A similar system exists in Stockholm, where the charge varies depending on the time of day.

• Tolls. In Toronto and several California cities, motorists are charged higher tolls to drive on freeways during congested times than at other times. A transponder attached to a vehicle records the time of day it is on the highway. A monthly bill sent to the vehicle’s owner reflects the differential tolls.

• Permits. In Singapore, to be permitted to drive downtown during the busiest times of the day, a motorist must buy a license and demonstrate ownership of a parking space. The government limits the number of licenses and charges high tolls to drive downtown. Several cities in China intend to require permits to drive in congested areas.

• Bans. Cars are banned from portions of the central areas of a number of European cities, including Copenhagen, Munich, Vienna, and Zurich .

Congestion Charge Zone, London

Pedestrian-Only Streets, Haarlem, the Netherlands

Sharing Vehicles

Residents of large cities have long relied on taxicabs for transport. Hail or phone for a taxi, tell the driver the destination, and pay as one gets out of the taxi. Rent-a-car companies have also long provided people with short-term vehicle rentals, especially when away from home.

In recent years, urban residents have increasingly utilized vehicle sharing services. Two types of sharing have developed:

• Sharing with others a vehicle you own. Individuals use their privately owned vehicles to transport passengers who arrange for the pickup through a smartphone app. Uber has been the leading provider of the service.

• Sharing with others a vehicle that no single individual owns. People who do not own a vehicle but wish to drive themselves arrange for the short-term use of a vehicle. In some cities, including Paris and Indianapolis, electric vehicles are parked in specially marked locations. People use their smartphones to reserve and unlock the vehicles.

Autonomous Driving Vehicles

Future transportation systems are likely to include various forms of autonomous vehicles (Figure 13-77). Vehicles currently possess technological capabilities supportive of hands-free driving such as sensors and GPS, and they can perform hands-free functions such as automatic braking, parallel parking, and prevention of unsafe lane changes.

Autonomous Vehicle

Driverless buses operate in Paris.

Autonomous driving depends on two elements known as SLAM and DATMO; both rely on contemporary geographic tools. SLAM (simultaneous localization and mapping) pinpoints the vehicles precise location using multiple sensors provided by LIDAR (light detection and ranging) and GPS (global positioning system). DATMO (detection and tracking of moving objects) identifies pedestrians, animals, and other vehicles that are in the route being taken by the vehicle.

The Society of Automotive Engineers identifies five levels of autonomous driving:

• Level 1: Assisted driving. The driver must be ready to take control at any time. Most vehicles currently have level 1 capabilities such as cruise control.

• Level 2: Partially automated. Braking, accelerating, and steering are automatic, but the automated system deactivates immediately upon takeover by the driver.

• Level 3: Highly automated. The vehicle is fully automated, but only on high-speed freeways. The driver must pay attention and be prepared to take control.

• Level 4: Fully automated. No driver attention is required, but the vehicle has a steering wheel and floor pedals that someone in the vehicle could operate in an emergency (Figure 13-78).

• Level 5: Driverless. Other than setting the destination and starting the system, no human intervention is required. The vehicle does not have a steering wheel or pedals.

Autonomous Driving Level 4

Autonomous vehicles are predicted to result in fewer accidents caused by human error, provide mobility for people who are too young to drive or have a disability, and decrease the safe distance between vehicles and therefore increase the number of vehicles that can fit on the road.

Still unsettled are many practical problems created by autonomous vehicles, such as liability and insurance. The most significant obstacle to autonomous vehicles may be consumer acceptance. Surveys have shown that most people of all ages are frightened of fully autonomous vehicles.

Pause & Reflect 13.4.3

Do you want to give up some or all control of the vehicle? Do autonomous vehicles excite you or frighten you? Explain your answer.