Skip to 0 minutes and 5 seconds Bern Grush: The average European owns 0.6 cars and the average American owns 0.8. This tells us that personal vehicle ownership is currently highly popular. However, we also know that ownership increases vehicle kilometres travelled, and that creates congestion and land use problems. This course is about treating vehicle automation as a tool to create the cities, neighbourhoods and environments that we want for our future. We should be asking ourselves, what can the automated vehicle do for our cities? If we want cities with fewer cars then we need to make it highly attractive, not to own a vehicle. To do that involves understanding all the reasons private vehicles are preferred.
Skip to 0 minutes and 47 seconds It also involves designing for human mobility, matters such as walkable neighbourhoods, removing parking minimums, preferences for active transportation, Robo taxi only zones, and car free downtown’s. Only when active and or public transportation is enough for our daily activities, on most days, can private ownership be significantly reduced. We know technology, including automated vehicles could, with the right governance and planning, help us achieve greater levels of livability. Automation for people centred cities
