Whether autonomous vehicles (AVs) will decrease or increase
traffic is a surprisingly complicated question. AVs will not only affect how people commute,
but could also change how populations are distributed and how
cities are designed. Although there are plenty of uncertain
factors at this point, the following outlines ways AVs could impact
the future of traffic congestion.
First, how AVs operate will be different than a vehicle with a
human driver. AVs will drive more slowly and carefully,
especially in downtown areas. Because of this, AVs could lead
to increased congestion as they look for drop-off and pick up
spots, wait for another car to parallel park, or while finding
another person waiting for a ride as they shift into taxi-cab
mode. On the other hand, AVs will drive at a more constant
rate of speed. Reducing the amount of slowing down, then
speeding up will decrease congestion and improve the flow of
traffic. Because of the chain reaction caused by a
