Skip to main content

AVs will increase traffic in overcrowded downtown areas, says study

Autonomous vehicles (AVs) will reduce the number of cars and overall travel times in cities but potentially worsen conditions in downtown areas, says the World Economic Forum. The findings come from a study conducted alongside the Boston Consulting Group (BCG). Called Reshaping Urban Mobility with Autonomous Vehicles: Lessons from the City of Boston, the partnership recommends city and state governments encourage higher sharing of AVs - and avoid significantly moving away from mass transit systems. A
July 10, 2018 Read time: 2 mins
Autonomous vehicles (AVs) will reduce the number of cars and overall travel times in cities but potentially worsen conditions in downtown areas, says the World Economic Forum. The findings come from a study conducted alongside the 4055 Boston Consulting Group (BCG).


Called Reshaping Urban Mobility with Autonomous Vehicles: Lessons from the City of Boston, the partnership recommends city and state governments encourage higher sharing of AVs - and avoid significantly moving away from mass transit systems.

A traffic simulation model of the city found neighbourhoods outside of the downtown core would see an improvement in traffic and travel times. In addition, a shift to autonomous mobility would reduce the number of parking spaces required in Boston by 48%.

Meanwhile, an analysis predicts a move to mobility-on-demand in AVs (such as robo-shuttles) and current taxi and ride-sharing services – which currently make up 30% of all trips in the greater Boston area.

Nikolaus Lang, senior partner at BCG and co-author of the study, says travellers are likely to choose low-capacity autonomous taxis and shuttles for trips lower than four miles, rather than taking buses or trains.

"This, in turn, would increase the number of cars on the road and average travel time by 5.5% in Boston’s downtown neighbourhood," Lang adds.

Travel time could be improved by 15% through the introduction of occupancy-based pricing schemes to discourage riding alone, says the research.

Additionally, converting on-street parking to dedicated pick-up and drop-off areas, surface mass transit or driving lanes could decrease travel time by 10%. Similarly, designation of dedicated lanes for shared AVs has the potential to reduce travel time by 8%.

A full copy of the report is available %$Linker: 2 External <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 0 0 0 link-external here false http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Reshaping_Urban_Mobility_with_Autonomous_Vehicles_2018.pdf false false%>.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • CVMA: Quebec's ZEV plan may create unintended consequences
    January 2, 2018
    The Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers Association’s (CVMA’s) president Mark Nantais has stated that Quebec’s Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) regulations “may result in unintended consequences for consumers, automobile dealers, industry and ultimately, Quebec's economy,” in response to the new strategy introduced by the province’s government. The standard aims to increase the number of ZEVs in the region and to reduce greenhouse gas and other pollutant emissions. It will come into effect on the 11 January 2018.
  • European Transport Conference looks at developments in public transport
    September 3, 2015
    This year’s European Transport Conference, which takes place on 28-30 September in Frankfurt, Germany, will look at the latest research and developments in local public transport across Europe and beyond. Delegates will also have the opportunity to take part in an afternoon visit to see the public transport system in Offenbach, a small city close to Frankfurt. With the UK moving towards a regulated environment, the conference will discuss the legal and economic framework and how this will work as other
  • MaaS Market London conference looks at first/last mile
    February 13, 2019
    Next month’s MaaS Market conference in London will host a session dedicated to first/last mile travel within multimodal trips delivered through Mobility as a Service (MaaS) platforms. The provision of first/last mile connections is crucial if MaaS is to provide travellers with a convenient alternative to using private cars for every journey. In the session, Richard Corbett from micro scooter provider Bird, and Katy Medlock of peer-to-peer car share company Drivy, will be joined by Amsterdam-based researc
  • The bus is the future, says Swedish transport operator in its latest ad
    April 5, 2017
    Swedish public transport company Västtrafik has devised a different advertising campaign to encourage more car drivers to take the bus. The campaign film mimics the way the car industry advertises its new car launches, using buzzwords such as electric, sustainable, delegated driving, with dramatic music, lighting and quick cuts between images. In the end, however, a bus is revealed as the ‘mobility of the future’ with the offer of a free two-week test drive.