Self-Driving Cars Could Ease Traffic, But Increase Sprawl

A new study inspired by Boston's early experiments with self-driving cars finds that the technology could ease congestion, but might also lead to more cars on the road and further encourage urban sprawl. The report, released Tuesday by the Boston Consulting Group and the World Economic Forum, is a mostly optimistic take on how autonomous vehicles could change cities. Three companies are now testing self-driving cars in Boston's Seaport District. One of them, NuTonomy, has also partnered with ride-hailing service Lyft to research how passengers book and route a self-driving car.

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The consulting group's study included a computer simulation of how downtown Boston traffic would change with the advent of self-driving taxis, buses and private cars. It would likely add vehicles to roads while simultaneously reducing traffic time.

After several months of debating, California finally decided to ease off the regulations on self-driving to travel the state's highways without human drivers for the first time as early as 2018. The California rules could still conflict with proposed federal legislation that would largely bar states from regulating autonomous vehicles. But they are a boost for automakers who want to be able to deploy vehicles without human controls in California.

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Previous rules had demanded that firms submit safety assessment reports to state regulators and seek new approval for updated vehicles. Existing rules also require a backup human driver to be in all driverless vehicles. But the Association of Global Automakers, a trade group representing mostly Asian and European automakers, said California did not go far enough. Companies would still need a California permit to test or deploy vehicles on state roads.

Last week, a Senate panel approved a bill aimed at speeding the use of self-driving cars without human controls in the United States, a measure that also bars states from imposing regulatory road blocks.