Auto Pilot
Twists and turns lie ahead on the road to driverless
car technology
By Stephanie Potter
G
iven the rapid progress of
modern technology, it is sur-
prising to learn that autono-
mous vehicles have been
evolving for more than 90 years. The
first driverless car was tested in 1925
in the streets of Manhattan, where the
Houdina Radio Control Company sent
the driverless “American Wonder” pro-
totype up Broadway and down Fifth
Avenue, where it eventually crashed
into a vehicle filled with cinematogra-
phers. Numerous driverless tests con-
tinued throughout the 20th century
with varying success, and today we see
a dramatic resurgence. After nearly a
century of development, the world is on
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the precipice of realizing fully autono-
mous vehicles. The expected benefits
of autonomous vehicles range from
dramatically increased safety and con-
venience to reduced traffic congestion
and vehicle emissions. The Conference
Board of Canada and the Canadian Au-
tomated Vehicles Centre of Excellence
(CAVCOE) estimate that autonomous
vehicles will generate $65 billion in an-
nual Canadian economic benefit.
The implications of autonomous
vehicles are significant, particularly
for local governments. Municipalities
across the globe are exploring public-
private partnerships with tech firms and
automakers, positioning themselves
as autonomous vehicle demonstration
zones in an effort to develop a local
tech economy and reimagine urban
transportation systems. However,
autonomous vehicles require advanced
digital infrastructure and public policy
updates that few have begun to pre-
pare for. For example, in 2015, when the
National League of Cities reviewed the
municipal and regional transportation
plans of the 68 largest American cities,
they discovered that fewer than six per
cent have begun to plan for the poten-
tial impact of autonomous vehicles.
Nevertheless, connected and autono-
mous vehicles are on their way, whether
municipalities are ready for them or