Self-Driving Vehicles

City officials plead for more say in how AVs are deployed

Autonomous vehicle companies often cut out city transportation agencies with state laws that preempt local regulations. City leaders say that “handcuffs” them as they try to manage traffic and curb space.

  • By Daniel C. Vock

Driverless Cars Won’t Be Good for the Environment if They Lead To More Auto Use

COMMENTARY | Studies show that when people can ride in a car without operating it, they increase their car use. That could increase traffic and pollution, unless government puts a price on car travel.

  • By Giovanni Circella and Scott Hardman , The Conversation

National Parks Service Shares Fresh Details on Forthcoming Self-Driving Shuttle Pilot

Yellowstone National Park visitors can catch rides on the autonomous shuttles early next summer.

  • By Brandi Vincent

Self-Driving Shuttles Are Set to Be Deployed at Yellowstone National Park in 2021

The National Park Service is exploring emerging, autonomous technologies through a new pilot program that the public can opt to participate in.

  • By Brandi Vincent

Cities Aren't Doing Enough to Prepare for Autonomous Vehicles

Self-driving vehicle technology may be coming, but most city leaders aren’t doing much to anticipate our robot-car future, a new study warns.

  • By Laura Bliss, CityLab

Self-Driving Cars Aren’t Going To Fix Our Roadways

COMMENTARY | Automated vehicles aren't going to make it solo. Humans and machines alike are going to need connected infrastructure to tame our transportation future.

  • By Kjeld Lindsted

Tampa’s Path to Smart City Status

The city’s downtown will be ready for connected vehicles by 2020, and an advanced traffic management system will cover the entire city by 2023.

  • By Dave Nyczepir

Rhode Island Plans Autonomous Shuttle Pilot for Winter

The service will initially be free for commuters, while bus drivers have raised concerns about their futures.

  • By Dave Nyczepir

Railroad Crossings Are Dangerous and Ripe for Disruption

How we keep people on foot and in cars from getting hit by trains hasn't changed much in the last century.

  • By Mitch Herckis

Most Big Cities Are Planning for Autonomous Vehicles

The National League of Cities has seven recommendations for those looking to launch pilots.

  • By Dave Nyczepir

The Interstate Corridors Most Primed for Autonomous Trucks

STATE AND LOCAL ROUNDUP | Massachusetts State Police indictments … Boise’s renewable energy goal … and Vermont EMT apprenticeships.

  • By Michael Grass

Introducing Resident-Centered Autonomous Vehicle Pilots

The Knight Foundation aims to take projects out of the hands of car companies in five cities.

  • By Dave Nyczepir
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What to Include in a National Framework for Self-Driving Vehicles

State and local officials had some ideas for Congress at a Wednesday hearing on Capitol Hill.

  • By Dave Nyczepir

Survey: Consumers Value Real-World AV Testing. Just Not Where They Live

Recent high-profile crashes have “cast a shadow” on driverless vehicles.

  • By Michael Grass

Chicago’s Parking Garages Are Ready for AVs

“There can’t be an autonomous future without autonomous parking,” said SpotHero CEO Mark Lawrence.

  • By Dave Nyczepir

What Governor-Led Autonomous Vehicle Adoption Should Look Like

The transition to self-driving vehicles could breed more congestion, not less, in the short term, one new report predicts. How should states prepare the proper policy environment?

  • By Dave Nyczepir

City Leaders Envision Future With Driverless Cars

Autonomous vehicles promise increased equity and efficiency, but a new report says governments need to make sure the right policies are regulating them.

  • By Dave Nyczepir

Uber Irks Pittsburgh’s Mayor With Its Autonomous Vehicle Testing Announcement

STATE AND LOCAL ROUNDUP | Milwaukee mayor, police chief apologize after Bucks incident … Delaware lawmakers OK state worker bonuses … and N.Y.C. mayor thinks plastic straws suck.

  • By Michael Grass

The U.S. Might Need Self-Driving Trucks to Avoid a Labor Shortage Crisis

The American Trucking Association says their industry needs to hire 900,000 more drivers in the next 10 years to keep up with demand.

  • By Dave Gershgorn, Quartz

Self-Driving Vehicle Backers Push for ‘Federal Framework’

“If there is no action on this legislation, the result will be delayed testing and deployment in the United States of these life-saving technologies,” said Audi of America’s senior policy strategist.

  • By Dave Nyczepir

Houston Region Tests Driverless Shuttles on College Kids

The small shuttles, called “university circulators,” will be limited to a mile-long campus pathway at Texas Southern University and will run at average speeds ranging from 8 to 12 miles per hour.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram