A. quickly B. analyze C. programmed D. adoption E. boredom F. unaccompanied G. dramatic H. transform I. distracted J. peacefully K. prospect
Imagine an urban neighborhood where most of the cars are self-driving. What would it be like to be a pedestrian?
Actually, pretty good. In fact, pedestrians might end up with the run of the place.
In a new study published in the Journal of Planning Education and Research, Millard-Ball looks at the __31__ of urban areas where a majority of vehicles are “autonomous” or self-driving. It’s a phenomenon that’s not as far off as one might think.
“Autonomous vehicles have the potential to __32__ travel behavior,” Millard-Ball says. He uses game theory to __33__ the interactions between pedestrians and self-driving vehicles, with a focus on yielding at crosswalks.
Because autonomous vehicles are by design risk-averse, Millard-Ball's model suggests that pedestrians will be able to act with impunity, and he thinks autonomous vehicles may facilitate a shift towards pedestrian-oriented urban neighborhoods. However, Millard-Ball also finds that the __34__ of autonomous vehicles may be hampered by their strategic disadvantage that slows them down in urban traffic.
“Pedestrians routinely play the game of chicken,” Millard-Ball writes. Crossing the street, even at a marked crosswalk without a traffic signal, requires a probability calculation: what are the odds of survival?
The benefit of crossing the street __35__, instead of waiting for a gap in traffic, is traded off against the probability of injury or even death. Pedestrians know that drivers are not interested in running them down -- usually. But there is the chance a driver may be __36__, or drunk.
Self-driving cars are __37__ to obey the rules of the road, including waiting for pedestrians to cross. They could provide the most __38__ transformation in urban transportation systems. Parking, street design, and transportation service networks are likely to be revolutionized. In his latest study, Millard-Ball suggests that the potential benefits of self-driving cars -- avoiding __39__ of traffic and traffic accidents -- may be outweighed by the drawbacks of an always play-it-safe vehicle that slows traffic for everybody.
“From the point of view of a passenger in an automated car, it would be like driving down a street filled with __40__ five-year-old children,” Millard-Ball writes.
Alternatively, planners could seize the opportunity to create more pedestrian-oriented streets. Autonomous vehicles could start a new era of pedestrian domination.
K H B D A I C G E F
