Reimagining Transportation: Transforming Southeast Michigan

Virtually every day, we read news about advancements in connected and autonomous vehicles. Change is coming, and local governments need to be prepared and proactive to ensure that our communities remain places with great opportunity and a high quality of life.

On Tuesday, SEMCOG brought together leaders from the public and private sectors to discuss the impacts that advances in transportation technology will have throughout our region, state, and country. At Reimagining Transportation: Transforming Southeast Michigan, we learned that while autonomous vehicle technology may represent the biggest change since we switched from horse-and-buggy to the automobile, there are still more questions than answers about how this will affect our day-to-day lives.

While self-driving cars are often the first thing we think about when it comes to immense changes on the horizon, many facets of transportation are evolving at the same time. Brenda Lawrence, U.S. Representative for the 14th Congressional District and former mayor of Southfield, discussed the impact of drones on the delivery of goods and how automated satellite technology can improve the efficiency of airports.

Brenda Lawrence, U.S. Representative, 14th Congressional District

We are truly entering a phase of transition. Though the conversion will span decades, a new world of mobility options will change the way we move around the world. The potential consequences of these changes are difficult to fathom, and we still have more questions than answers.

We heard from a state transportation official, who explained how recent legislative accomplishments have positioned Michigan to lead in this rapidly expanding field.

Source: Michigan Department of Transportation

While Michigan stands poised to continue its leadership in automotive innovation, there is still much debate about how fast that change will occur.

Richard Wallace, the Director of the Transportation Systems Analysis Group at the Center for Automotive Research, noted it is anticipated that autonomous vehicles will first be deployed in fleets. In fact, use of vehicles for ride-sharing are scheduled to hit our roads beginning in 2020-2021 when we might see mobility evolve toward a service model in which ownership shifts towards user-ship. He also suggested that as automotive technology evolves, safety regulations are likely to evolve as well, with a possible shift to greater federal involvement. How soon will autonomous vehicles comprise a significant portion of all vehicles on the road, and what will it take for us to feel safe on the road?

Mark de la Vergne, Chief of Mobility Innovation for the City of Detroit, described how changes in transportation are influencing policy thought for city leaders. How will land that has long been coveted for parking facilities be repurposed if cars can drive themselves to remote lots? Will curb space for dropping off and picking up become a new revenue generator?

Source: Drive Sweden, a Strategic Innovation Program launched by the Swedish government

After a morning of discussion, those in attendance shared their thoughts on the topic in a keypad voting exercise. While a few people remain hesitant to trust autonomous vehicles, most are either ready now for the experience or expecting to adapt to it. While some expect to see an increase in urban and suburban living, the highest number expects that autonomous vehicles will not have much impact on where people choose to live. Most anticipate needing no more than one personal car per household, and a wide majority expects autonomous technology to make our transit systems more fully integrated.

The change is not coming. It is already here. As automotive technology is advances, how will it…

• Shape our communities in the future?
• Affect the economy and jobs?
• Impact educational curriculum?
• Influence regional demographics? And
• How will local governments and road agencies adapt to these new changes?

As we ponder and work to answer these questions, we want to hear from all Southeast Michigan residents about how they expect this technology may impact their lives. This is why we have just launched a new Pulse of the Region survey. Please take a few moments to complete it and share with your colleagues, friends, and family. This feedback is very useful to SEMCOG as we shape policies that advance our region.