Effects of Self-Driving Cars on City Living

Where the Rubber Meets the Road: Six City Functions in Managing AVs, Every Day States authorize AV for deployment—but it's the cities that manage the day to day reality of AV operations. State AV laws define liability, set insurance thresholds, and issue permits but they neglects—or worse, undercut—the granular, quality-of-life objectives in cities. Beyond vehicle safety, cities are asking broader questions: how do AVs reshape urban fabric? 🏙️ Six City Functions in Managing AVs, Every Day 🔧 Street Design & Infrastructure AVs rely on clear lane markings and smooth pavement. Cities manage this. Faded paint or cracked roads? That’s a safety risk—for both humans and algorithms. 🚏 Curb Management Cities control the most contested space: the curb. AVs picking up passengers or packages must coexist with buses, pedestrians, cyclists. Bad curb policy? Think: blocked bike lanes, double-parking, and transit delays. 🏗️ Land Use & Zoning Will AV support infill housing and densify the cities? Or encourage sprawl? Zoning will shape these outcomes. 🚦 Traffic Management & Congestion AV routing behavior impacts traffic flow. Cities run the traffic signals and design the intersections where this all plays out. 🚍 Transit Integration AVs can boost public transit—or cannibalize it. Will they offer first/last mile help? Or undercut fare revenue? Cities coordinate these choices. ⚖️ Mobility Equity Cities are equity stewards. They ensure access for those without cars, too old, too young, too poor, disabled. AVs could improve mobility for seniors, blind, and residents of transit deserts— —but without city input, they may not. 🔗 Read my full article 📖 "States Write the Laws. Cities Bear the Consequences. Resolving the State-City Tension in Autonomous Vehicle Regulation" 👉 https://lnkd.in/eSQ_67n3 1️⃣The Déjà Vu of Disruption 2️⃣Two Compelling, Yet Conflicting Principles 3️⃣Fear of Preemption Creates a Cycle of Inaction 4️⃣The paradox: States write the laws. Cities bear the consequences 5️⃣State Laws Overlook City Goals 6️⃣Six City Functions in Managing AV Day to Day

I never thought I would say this, but I feel more comfortable getting in a car with a robot at the wheel than I do with a human. After months of riding a Waymo here in San Francisco, it has become my preferred way to travel. I've had too many ride-sharing trips with Black Ice car fresheners, drivers talking incessantly on calls for the entire ride, and "comfort" rides that end up being hot and chatty rather than cool and quiet as requested. Robotaxis are consistent, quiet, and provide an environment that is all under my control. These benefits quickly overrode the scary fact that there is, in fact, no one at the wheel. And believe me, watching a car drive itself down a San Francisco hill is one hell of a ride. While it is comfort and convenience for me, for many, it is also safety. I’ve talked to a number of women who say they feel more secure riding in self-driving cars. They’re not alone. Uber recently launched a feature in select US cities that lets women riders match with woman drivers, a move that highlights ongoing safety concerns among female users. Parents are also starting to choose Waymo to take their kids to school. In Phoenix, Waymo now allows teens aged 14–17 to take solo rides using linked family accounts. There’s a lot to unpack when we already trust robots over humans. It says something about the state of society and the services run by it. But it also raises a bigger question: are we embracing automation too quickly simply because the human alternative has let us down? #robotics #spatialcomputing #autonomousvehicles #robotaxis

Autonomous Vehicles The AV revolution is underway. Driven by breakthroughs in AI, compute, and simulation, and dramatic cost reduction in sensors and hardware, Robotaxis are being tested in several U.S. cities. Globally there are more than 30 companies piloting/scaling fleets. In the U.S. there are 10 million workers who drive for a living: a) 3.5M truck drivers, b) 2M ride-hailing drivers (Uber, Lyft), c) 1M delivery van drivers (UPS, FedEx, Courier), d) 500k bus drivers (school & transit), e) 400k taxis, and f) 3M drivers in the GIG economy (food delivery) - representing 6.25% of the total workforce. Globally, there are ~400M workers globally that drive for a living. The truck driver or Uber driver replaced by AV is estimated to cut costs per mile by more than half. The implications are massive. In the U.S annually, auto accidents result in 44,000 fatalities, 2.3 million injuries with an economic cost of $350 billion annually (medical, productivity loss, property damage, legal expense). AVs are expected reduce accidents by 90%+. AI on wheels as one analyst labels it, is powered by neural networks, trained on billions of road miles (Waymo alone has logged 100 million with no human driver behind the wheel). Tesla recently launched its pilot program at a price point well below Uber ($4.20 per ride), while Uber itself plans to deploy 20,000 AV (no driver). Bank of America estimates a $1.2 trillion AV spend on robotaxis, logistics, delivery, agriculture, and public transit. This shift could redefine urban design, free up parking, reduce congestion, and accelerate the timeline for traditional auto ownership where more people use AVs on demand vs. owned vehicles. China may lead the race given its demographic urgency and regulatory structure, but the U.S. isn’t far behind. The winners will be OEMs who master software, data, hardware integration, cost-efficient assemblage. Key technology and components are Radar, LiDAR, Camera, Chips, Cockpit to console with nearly 100 companies providing parts, technology and components that has largely evolved beyond traditional auto parts suppliers My most immediate questions/issues related to the advancement of AV include: - Employment, and potential displacement of active drivers - Demand and profitability for the auto OEMs (GM, Ford, Stellantis vs. Tesla)—new car sales, adoption, fleet size, efficiency. - Auto Parts Supplier relevance in a AV transport world - Rental Car Companies (Avis, Hertz, Budget) vs. Robotaxi model - Auto Insurance, premium vs. payout model with fewer accidents and Tesla providing vehicle insurance from their insurance arm The auto sector has underperformed in 2025; credit spreads have widened. Stay tuned, it’s early days.