The city of San Jose in California's Silicon Valley is familiar with self-driving cars on the road, but this is its first partnership with self-driving car companies.
"[San Jose] announced it has signed an agreement to launch an autonomous vehicle pilot project with Mercedes-Benz and Bosch," reports Emily Drury.
"The project is expected to kick off in the second half of 2019 as an on-demand ride hailing service," adds Drury.
The project still lacks specific like "who will be allowed to hail rides and where exactly the cars can go," but the project is likely to limit the range of vehicles in the hopes of broadening the scale further down the road.
Meanwhile the partnership between the city and the companies is expected to be mutually beneficial. "The companies will be able to tap into the city’s interconnected traffic signal system, which will let them time trips better. And the city will gain access to data about traffic congestion and vehicle speed," according to Drury.
FULL STORY: San Jose launching self-driving car program
The Key to Self-Driving Safety: Priority Over Expediency
Human drivers are fallible. Can automated systems do a better job to reduce the likelihood of car collisions?
'Cars Are Death Machines'
Not one, not two, but three articles in the past week paint dire portraits of the world that cars have created.
Self-Driving Car or Hotel Room on Wheels?
With self-driving cars already well lodged in the public imagination as a sure thing in the relative near future, many people are already thinking about the potential business opportunities for the new technology.
Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”
Study: Maui’s Plan to Convert Vacation Rentals to Long-Term Housing Could Cause Nearly $1 Billion Economic Loss
The plan would reduce visitor accommodation by 25% resulting in 1,900 jobs lost.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Waymo Gets Permission to Map SF’s Market Street
If allowed to operate on the traffic-restricted street, Waymo’s autonomous taxis would have a leg up over ride-hailing competitors — and counter the city’s efforts to grow bike and pedestrian on the thoroughfare.
Parklet Symposium Highlights the Success of Shared Spaces
Parklets got a boost during the Covid-19 pandemic, when the concept was translated to outdoor dining programs that offered restaurants a lifeline during the shutdown.
Federal Homelessness Agency Places Entire Staff on Leave
The U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness is the only federal agency dedicated to preventing and ending homelessness.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Caltrans
Smith Gee Studio
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service