David Alpert speaks about a report on autonomous vehicles. Image by the author.

Humanity is approaching a transportation revolution with the rise of autonomous vehicles. That was the sense among the panelists at a GGWash forum about AVs on Friday, October 24. Experts say we have the opportunity to shape this revolution for the benefit of all people and the planet—but only if we are willing to make forward-looking choices now that prioritize equity and environmental sustainability.

David Alpert, executive director of DC Sustainable Transportation, presented a peek at a forthcoming report on the potential impacts of autonomous vehicles on the District. The event was sponsored by Ford, and hosted by the World Resources Institute and the New Urban Mobility Alliance (NUMO). Dalia Leven and Kristin Calkins of the DC Office of Planning, who both helped create the report, answered audience questions, and five experts from various backgrounds weighed in on the potential impact AVs will have and what issues they could raise.

The last transportation revolution brought mass car ownership to the United States, and moderator Harriet Tregoning, Director of NUMO, began by highlighting its unintended consequences. In her opening comments, Tregoning asked the audience, “Did people sit down and say ‘let’s make car ownership required,’ ‘let’s make other modes dangerous,’ ‘let’s make car ownership a cultural signifier and a price of entry to the economy,’ ‘let’s make it kill directly and indirectly?’”

Of course, even without intention to cause harm, mass car ownership has cause all kinds of problems, from road deaths and dirty air to hours spent trapped in gridlock. The question for autonomous vehicles is: Can they be a solution to the problems created by cars, or will they accelerate these negative outcomes?

What are potential problems with autonomous vehicles?

One potential negative impact of AVs is the loss of transportation jobs, which have traditionally been well-paying for low-skilled workers. Richard Ezike, Senior Policy Associate at the Urban Institute, asked how we can ensure equity in jobs and employment when AVs displace these workers. While AVs could increase access to jobs, how can we ensure that workers are moving to better paying positions? Retraining will be key, but we also need metrics for success to ensure

Ford is filling positions at all skill levels, according to Brittany Pauley, the DC Market Specialist at Ford Autonomous Vehicles LLC. It also has training programs in various areas, including in Ward 8 in DC, to help lower-skilled workers transition into higher-skilled jobs. Pauley said Ford would use studies of potential negative impacts of AVs to guide its strategy.

A panel of experts talked about the potential impact AVs will have. Image by the author.

It’s important to put policies in place before AVs come to dominate our streets to ensure positive outcomes, said Maura Brophy, Director of Transportation and Infrastructure at the Federal City Council. AVs are just one part of broader trends in transportation, including electrification, telecommuting, and the rise of e-commerce. Public policy can shape these trends to bring positive benefits.

Andrew Bui, Vice President for Smart Cities and Advanced Mobility at AECOM, addressed some specific policies that could make an impact. One is addressing “zero-occupancy vehicles,” or the phenomenon of an AV roaming the streets without any passengers while its driver attends an event. A tax on this type of use could discourage this “deadheading,” and reduce street congestion. Bui also said that public officials should keep their priority on transit, which is still the most efficient transportation mode, and avoid any temptation to add road capacity.

So how can the District prepare for autonomous vehicles? Tregoning asked the panelists to describe what success looks like for them.

Pauley said Ford wants to create a service that is sustainable and scalable, and uses its research of consumer behavior to put people first. Brophy, thinking about the needs of businesses, wants to see AVs help grow the economy while also making the city more livable. Bui wants to ensure that AVs support a full transportation network. Richard Ezeke wants equity to be the primary goal, and to make sure that people feel safe using AVs.

We already have a lot of tools to make AVs work

The consensus from the panelists was that the impending influx of autonomous vehicles should spur us to be proactive with transportation policy. We need to think differently about our rights of way and transportation’s role in community health. We need to be prepared to use pricing to influence individual behavior. And we need more integration across the transportation system.

In many ways, the policy tools that the panelists recommended to address AVs were similar to tools that we already use or could use to address the problems of mass car ownership. The implication is that if we haven’t used them already – such as higher taxes, fees for low-occupancy, congestion pricing, improved public transportation, reduced parking – how will we use them to prevent further damage by autonomous vehicles?

The takeaway from this event is that public officials actually have a lot of levers to influence AV behavior for the community’s benefit. The question is whether elected leaders have the political will to put them into practice.

Jane Fiegen Green was the Development Director at Greater Greater Washington from 2018 to 2020. With a PhD in history and a background in association management for a scholarly society of historians, she worked to bring sustainable revenue streams to support GGWash’s news and advocacy. She lives in the Pentagon City neighborhood of Arlington with her husband and son.