Vision for the Future
The implementation of driverless cars into Birmingham’s city structure is a process that will take many years. We have broken down our vision of the future into 3 steps that are at vastly different times in the future and visualised this on a map. Our idea is to complement the existing transport system, not to replace it, and hopefully eliminate the need for a personal car for their daily commute into the city. Many suburban areas face a similar problem: People commuting into the city by train first need to drive to the train station, as walking or taking the bus might not be feasible, which leads to overfilled car parks and cars that are idle for the whole working day.
Phase 1
5-10 years
Therefore, we suggest a certain number of autonomous vehicles (AVs), owned by Transport for West Midlands, should operate as an on-demand service in a small area like Langley SUE. We suggest Langley SUE specifically as this presents the possibility of designing an area with AVs in mind from the start. AVs will be used to pick people up from their homes and take them to the train station, making several trips per hour at peak commuting times. Residents will be able to book a route via our app, MobiLink, where they are able to choose between ride-sharing (default) or an individual journey.
At peak times (06:00 - 09:30 and 16:00 – 19:00), only trips from home to the train station will be available in order to minimise waiting times for commuters. Starting from Langley SUE, residents will be able to choose between the nearest available train stations, inside the region indicated on the above map. The possibility of introducing a minimum distance or fare exists to discourage people from using the service as an alternative to walking a relatively short distance.
At off-peak times however, trips can be made in a wider region within Birmingham, including the city centre. This service can be particularly useful at night-time, when regular public transport does not operate (e.g. 1 - 5am) and people want to get home safely from an event or a club or during the day for grocery shopping. People with a concession pass (eg. blue badge holders) will be able to use the service with off-peak conditions at any time.
Trips can be paid for either on a per-trip basis or tied into a subscription service similar to a bus pass. The price can be reduced by buying the AV-pass in combination with a public transportation pass from the same organisation. The subscription service comes with a limit of available trips and a maximum total driving distance over a certain period of time, which can be increase by buying a top-up.
Any AVs that are not in use will be stored at a central facility near Langley SUE and for a sudden increase in demand, additional cars can be sent out at any time.
Phase 2
20-25 years
The operating area of the fleet of driverless cars complementing the transport system will have expanded to include a wider area of Birmingham and connect most suburban areas to the train system. The distinction between peak and off-peak usage systems will continue to exist, however with an increasing number of AVs, it might be possible to use AVs for any purpose even at peak hours. Existing companies providing on-demand transportation services (e.g. Uber) might choose to form partnerships, leading to benefits for the consumer such as consistently low waiting times.
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Advances in technology will have led to a much greater affordability of driverless cars, which will allow individual people or households to lease or purchase an AV for themselves. There will be a system set in place where privately-owned cars that are currently not needed can join the existing set of AVs operating in the city and can therefore be used for trips by other people. As an incentive, the owner will be reimbursed for making their car available or a company may insert this as a clause into their lease.
Households may choose to co-own only one car instead of multiple, which can be programmed to take their owners to work either separately or in one trip, then either complete trips for others or drive itself to a parking facility outside the city centre and arrive at its owner’s workplace in time for the trip home automatically. This will dramatically reduce the need for parking spaces in the city centre.
Furthermore, companies might invest in their own fleet of driverless cars to transport their employees to and from work, which reduces the car park spaces needed at their location and presents an ecological and sustainable alternative to individual commuting habits.
The implementation of clean-air zones and congestion charges in the city centre encourage people to stay clear of traditional cars with combustion engines and instead use driverless or generally electric cars.
Phase 3
35-50 years
In the more distant future, all traffic in the city centre except public transport will consist of driverless electric cars, making the area more pedestrian- and cycle-friendly. This area has been marked in red in the map above. Parking spots have been freed up and can be transformed into recreational areas or residential buildings. AVs will communicate with each other over the fully implemented 5G-network and traffic will be virtually accident-free. Charging stations will be available all over the city, with energy coming from either renewable sources or nuclear power. Population density in the inner city will have increased due to the higher quality of life, which combats the urban sprawl which may have resulted from the better connectivity at the outskirts of the city due to the implementations in Phase 1 and Phase 2.