Streetcars? Consider Autonomous Vehicles

I recently read “A Streetcar Named Impossible” [The Georgetowner, Dec. 21, 2016] and have written a piece to complement it regarding autonomy.

The streetcar project is one which pulls at the heart strings.  It evokes sentimentalism and a yearning for what has past.  We seek connection with a time when Washington, D.C., streetcars spanned the District and could even take one out for a weekend at the local amusement park in suburban Maryland.  Today, D.C.’s urban density is high, cars are widespread, and neighborhood streets play Waze shortcuts to many. 

As D.C. policies and real estate moguls further enable increasing densities, and regulatory disruptors, such as Uber, complement and perhaps threaten public transport, we should start pursuing autonomous vehicles. With autonomy, D.C. will be able to continue densifying without the large infrastructure costs associated with density. Perhaps, we should embrace the forthcoming autonomous vehicles of the near future, existing shared car services, and other forms of urban transportation — causing us to reflect on this streetcar project and realizing that the economics will never make sense — especially in a world of autonomous vehicles.

*— Muieen Cader,*
*Vancouver, British Columbia*

*The author is CEO of Melange Research, Inc., a company specializing in autonomous vehicles, and working to bring all-weather radar systems to autonomous vehicles.*