Bicycle Friendly America Summer 2018 - 14

mented by public transit could allow the
same number of people to move around
the city with only 90% of the cars currently used. This would mean a 20% less
need for on-street parking and an 80%
reduction in off-street parking.9
The above scenario implies that there
will be a lot of road space that can be reallocated in cities, and potentially in suburbs, due to fewer vehicles. Where roads

are currently overbuilt - built to handle
more traffic than they currently have and
are likely to have in the future - road diets that re-allocate space to bicyclists are
common and recommended by the Federal Highway Administration.
What barriers to more bike infrastructure exist?
The biggest barrier might be that
many automated vehicle manufactur-

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14 BICYCLE FRIENDLY AMERICA

NIBEL
OM / SA

ers and operators see their deployment
in a ride hailing model similar to Uber
or Lyft. This places a pressure on curb
space for the pick-up and drop-off of
passengers that might make those parties and the policymakers they influence
be wary of allocating scarce curb space
to bicyclists rather than ride hailing services, freight, or parking.
In addition to pressure on curb space,
bicyclist may also find their infrastructure increasingly shared with other
vehicles. Low-speed electric vehicles,
whether e-bikes, e-scooters, e-skateboards, or automated trolleys often share
similar operating speeds with bicycles
and may share space with them in the
future.
What can be done now to ensure the automated
vehicles go hand-in-hand with more bike
infrastructure?
Decisions about road space allocation and how to use any space freed up
by automated vehicles will likely be local
decisions, made by cities, counties, and
other local authorities with control over
their roadways. In a number of states, the
majority of roads are owned by the state
Department of Transportation, so those
states, like Virginia, will also have a prominent role in these decisions.
Working with these authorities so that
decisions are driven by people rather than
technology should ensure that space is
made available to bicyclists as it becomes
available or sooner through existing complete streets policies and bicycle planning.
FURTHER READING
Advanced vehicle technologies, autonomous vehicles and cycling. European
Cycling Federation. https://ecf.com/
sites/ecf.com/files/ECF%20Discussion%20Doc%20on%20C_ITS%20Autonomous%20Vehicles.pdf
Discussion Guide for Automated
and Connected Vehicles, Pedestrians,
and Bicyclists. Pedestrian and Bicyclist
Information Center. https://www.pedbikeinfo.org/pdf/PBIC_AV.pdf
Ken McLeod is the League's Policy Director

https://www.smartcitiesdive.com/ex/sustainablecitiescollective/driverless-cars-urban-mobility-and-toronto-s-gardiner-expressway/1070806/ http://www.fujibikes.com/sanibel https://www.ecf.com/sites/ecf.com/files/ECF%20Discussion%20Doc%20on%20C_ITS%20Autonomous%20Vehicles.pdf https://www.ecf.com/sites/ecf.com/files/ECF%20Discussion%20Doc%20on%20C_ITS%20Autonomous%20Vehicles.pdf https://www.ecf.com/sites/ecf.com/files/ECF%20Discussion%20Doc%20on%20C_ITS%20Autonomous%20Vehicles.pdf https://www.ecf.com/sites/ecf.com/files/ECF%20Discussion%20Doc%20on%20C_ITS%20Autonomous%20Vehicles.pdf http://www.pedbikeinfo.org/pdf/PBIC_AV.pdf http://www.pedbikeinfo.org/pdf/PBIC_AV.pdf http://www.pedbikeinfo.org/pdf/PBIC_AV.pdf http://www.pedbikeinfo.org/pdf/PBIC_AV.pdf

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Bicycle Friendly America Summer 2018