In Gridlock, I argued that the next great improvement in human mobility will come not from rail transit or high‐speed rail but driverless cars. Companies such as GM and Volkswagen have invested heavily in research and development of cars that can drive themselves, and I expected that they would soon begin lobbying state legislatures to change laws to allow such driverless cars on the road.
As it turned out, the lobbying was done not by an auto company but by Google, which has tested driverless cars (developed by the same Stanford University engineers who designed Volkswagen’s driverless cars) throughout the state of California. Google decided Nevada would be a good state to start legalizing driverless cars, and last week the Nevada legislature agreed.
By coincidence, Volkswagen has announced that it will soon offer semi‐driverless cars for sale. The cars will include a “temporary auto pilot” that can stay within speed limits, steer within lane indicators, pass slow‐moving vehicles, and avoid collisions on the highway. The cars will not be able to navigate city streets, but that will come soon.
The introduction of true driverless cars will significantly expand personal mobility because anyone—not just people over 16 who can pass a driver’s test—will be able to use them. Driverless cars will reduce congestion and improve safety. The new mobility will significantly change the way we live. And the cars will render obsolete any and all rail transit and moderate‐speed rail lines now being planned or under construction long before taxpayers finish paying the heavy debts incurred to build such lines.
