Using a combination of surveys and modeling, researchers find that Autonomous Vehicles may increase the number of trips people take and hence traffic congestion.

Australian study evaluates impact of Autonomous Vehicles on congestion.

Date Posted
11/26/2019
Identifier
2019-B01422
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How Might Autonomous Vehicles Impact the City? The Case of Commuting to Central Adelaide

Summary Information

Researchers in Adelaide, Australia surveyed commuters in downtown Adelaide to better understand ¬if and how commuters would use Autonomous Vehicles. Researchers carefully described how Autonomous Vehicles would function under ideal circumstances and then asked if they would use such a vehicle for daily commuting or other types of trips. They also asked respondents if whether they would sell their regular vehicle if an Autonomous Vehicles was available.



Researchers then fed the results of this survey into a traffic simulation model to better understand how Autonomous Vehicles would influence traffic patterns in Adelaide.

Findings

  • 57 percent of respondents stated they would likely switch to an Autonomous Vehicles for daily community purposes
  • 71 percent of respondents stated they would use an Autonomous Vehicles to take non-work trips
  • 61 percent of respondents stated would still like to own a conventional vehicle
  • Based on the survey and modeling results researchers find that Autonomous Vehicles may encourage public transit riders to switch to private vehicles and thus increase congestion.
Goal Areas
Results Type
Deployment Locations