Cars are becoming smarter, streets are not
Self-driving cars are not distant in the future anymore. Companies are selling self-driving cars and urging their clients to keep their hands in the wheel [1] although these cars can practically drive themselves with very high safety standards. Despite statistics shows that autonomous cars have a slightly higher accident rate, the injuries related to that incidents are less serious [2].
However, self-driving cars alone do little to help the environment they depend on. Even solutions such as Waze, which apparently cleans up the most used ways and diverts traffic to less demanded streets, are being accused of sometimes worsening the situation. According to a city council in Los Angeles, “many of the shortcuts suggested by Waze end up causing more traffic in an effort to cut travel times by using side roads, leading drivers to make unsafe turns and often unpermitted traffic directions.” [3]
What if the city took back control of the streets, with the help of Data Analytics?
That was the idea of a researcher in Barcelona (Spain): to create an organized system that collects data both from the smart cars and from sensors spread through the city. [4] The city could suggest routes to the cars since it would possess comprehensive data regarding the cars in its streets and regarding the condition of the streets at that moment. Other perks from this system cited by the researches include smart traffic signals helping emergency vehicles or assistance to find a parking spot.
While cars are becoming smarter, the streets are falling behind. The safe prediction to make is that smart cars are going to get stuck in very dumb congestions unless the streets get smarter.
[1] https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-autopilot-drivers-keep-hands-on-steering-wheel-2018-4
