Almost every tech hub in the country wants to be the first to have self-driving cars and smart traffic solutions in place. Now, Alphabet's Sidewalk Labs has offered to help D.C. and 15 other cities prepare for the inevitable changes to their transportation systems.
The initiative is related to the U.S. Department of Transportation's Smart City Challenge, in which Columbus edged out D.C. and several other cities for a $40 million grant to test new technologies on city streets. Sidewalk Labs, part of Google parent company Alphabet, is partnering with the advocacy group Transportation for America to help test and analyze mobility innovations in large cities, such as Los Angeles, Boston, Austin, and smaller suburbs, such as Lone Tree, Colo.
“We’re in the midst of the most transformational shift in urban transportation since the start of the interstate era more than 50 years ago. And just like that era, cities have enormous potential to help or harm their residents with the decisions they make,” James Corless, Director of T4America, said in a news release. “It’s incredibly encouraging to see this long list of cities proactively shaping the future to ensure that this monumental shift in transportation doesn’t shape their cities without their input and produce a new generation of transportation haves and have-nots.”
Sidewalk Labs, T4America and the 16 partner cities will start with information-sharing sessions before splitting up into groups focused on self-driving cars, shared mobility such as Uber and data analytics to measure progress toward transportation goals. The cities, with technical assistance, will set up pilot programs and develop best practices to share with other cities.
In the February 2016 Smart City grant application, the District outlined a vision of a new "Smart DC."
"The District has made substantial investments to lay the groundwork for transforming into a 'smart city.' Smart DC focuses on collaboration across agencies and sectors in a strategic and inclusive way to address challenges and capitalize on the opportunities presented by 21st-century technology and best practices for city governance and management." The application noted that population growth and increased congestion in recent years has become a burden on drivers and Metrobus passengers.
The District has planned a pilot program focused on three key aspects of a smart city—urban automation, connected vehicles, and intelligent, sensor-based infrastructure, which it plans to implement over the next four years along high traffic transit corridors.
These moves come as self-driving cars are becoming more common. Google has been test-driving its cars on Austin streets for more than a year. And, earlier this summer, Uber began offering rides in its self-driving cars in Pittsburgh. On the federal level, authorities in September released initial guidelines for the implementation of self-driving cars, which were generally applauded by the tech industry.
Meanwhile, many people are warming up to the idea of using autonomous vehicles. A survey of 2,000 people by the Consumer Technology Association showed 70 percent were ready to ride in a driverless car and nearly the same percentage were interested in having an autonomous car replace the car they own.
“Cities understand that they need to work together, but the question has always been how best to band these municipalities in partnership," Sidewalk Labs Chief Policy Officer Rohit Aggarwala said in a prepared statement. "This collaborative will be an unprecedented step in unifying these urban areas and accelerate solutions that provide affordable, efficient ways to get around.”
