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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Environment
Letters

Self-driving cars will change cities

Commuters crossing York Road outside Waterloo train station
‘Busy crossings during rush hour could become an unbroken stream of pedestrians as self driving cars wait helplessly,’ writes Robert Cullen. Photograph: Ray Tang/REX Shutterstock

Once daredevils, cyclists and pedestrians work out just how safe they are with this new technology (Google’s self-driving car avoids hitting a woman chasing a bird, theguardian.com, 17 March), it is easy to imagine how there might be a battle for rights of way. Busy crossings during rush hour could become an unbroken stream of pedestrians as self-driving cars wait helplessly. It is only a small leap from here to imagine the physical measures that may need to be implemented to keep vehicles and pedestrians separate. Fenced in pavements? Raised roadways? This technology could have bigger impacts on our built environments than we are currently anticipating.
Robert Cullen
Gothenburg, Sweden

• Join the debate – email guardian.letters@theguardian.com

• Read more Guardian letters – click here to visit gu.com/letters

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