Transport I Position Paper: Autonomous Vehicle & Traffic Congestion
The Transportation Position Paper is the first assignment for the Introduction to Urban Transportation Systems course. This course provides an overview of the transportation system design process, discusses the current transportation challenges, and introduces some basic design and analysis techniques, such as the four-stage model, highway capacity and geometric design, earthworks, pavement design and transportation economics.
This assignment requires us to write a position paper regarding some of the most controversial topics in transportation engineering. I chose to write about the impact of autonomous vehicles (AVs) on traffic congestion since I am interested in how machine learning and automation will impact our transportation system. Also, I am curious about how transportation engineers and urban planners adapt to the emergence of recent technology and use that to build a more connected and accessible city.
After my research, I concluded that AVs will not improve traffic congestion for two reasons:
- A small fraction of conventional vehicles could significantly reduce traffic flow, and it is unlikely that conventional vehicles will phase out completely soon as people enjoy the driving experience.
- The traffic volume could increase as people prefer owning additional AVs to earn passive income, and more AVs could be cruising on the streets to avoid paying for parking.
To effectively state my position, I researched and gathered the discoveries and thoughts of different scholars to support my claims. Moreover, I delivered my arguments concisely and demonstrated my critical thinking skill through the use of counter-arguments.