No chauffeurs in the 90210 of the future
Beverly Hills announces plans for driverless public transit
The City of Beverly Hills wants to be known for more than Rodeo Drive, Hillbillies, and an active oilfield. Building upon recognition from Google in 2015 for the city’s digitally savvy business community, its city council voted unanimously on April 5, 2016 to create a program to “develop autonomous vehicles [AVs] as public transportation.”
In addition to general safety, environmental, and economic benefits expected from mass adoption of AVs, the city points to reductions in traffic congestion and parking demand as motivations for developing a municipal fleet. Mayor John Mirisch also hopes to resolve first/last mile gaps once the extension of the Los Angeles Metro Rail System is completed.
In its press release announcing the city council vote, Beverly Hills argues it is an ideal testing ground for AV deployment based on a variety of factors:
- Size: “At 5.7 square miles, Beverly Hills is large enough to be statistically significant yet small enough to be manageable.”
- Infrastructure: “Beverly Hills’ infrastructure is tailor-made for [AVs],” with “superb” road conditions and an imminent fiber optic network that can enable vehicle-to-vehicle or vehicle-to-grid communication and mass installation of sensors.
- Tech-readiness: The city already has a “robust CCTV program, license plate recognition system, and traffic monitoring” capabilities, along with a “well-educated resident and visitor base who are nimble adopters of new technologies.”
- Environment: An average year-round temperature of 65°F and average rainfall of 18 inches per year provide an enviable, ideal climate for testing AV technology, according to the Co-Chair of the new Mayor’s Autonomous Vehicles Taskforce.
Not surprisingly, the first phase of Beverly Hills’ new AV program entails outreach to major technology partners like Tesla and Google to develop policy frameworks, white papers, and eventually pilot programs. While sponsorships are being considered for revenue-generating potential, no budget, funding allocation, or timeline has been established as of yet.
Time will tell whether this effort can serve as a blueprint for other municipalities seeking to plan more proactively and collaboratively for AVs. Last week, transportation ministers of all 28 European Union member states signed the Declaration of Amsterdam, which “lays down agreements on the steps necessary for the development of self-driving technology in the E.U.” At the very least, policymakers at local and international levels are actively signaling to the private sector that they want a seat at the table.
