Major changes are taking place in urban transportation and service delivery. There are shifts in car ownership, the development of ride-sharing services, investments in autonomous vehicles, the use of remote sensors for mobile applications, and changes in package and service delivery. New tools are being deployed to transport people, deliver products, and respond to a variety of metropolitan challenges.
Yet at the same time, these developments raise a number of questions concerning how to protect privacy, guarantee safety, manage data, and resolve liability issues. People worry that new advances will endanger important freedoms, threaten long-cherished human values, and expose people to concrete dangers.
Darrell M. West
Senior Fellow – Center for Technology Innovation
Douglas Dillon Chair in Governmental Studies
In this paper, I examine the opportunities and risks of emerging transportation developments and make a number of recommendations for moving forward. In particular, I suggest infrastructure investments, technical standards, ride-sharing protections, oversight from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA), greater consistency across federal agencies, data usage and retention rules, and legal liability clarifications. Making progress in these areas would promote a safe and responsible future.
EMERGING DEVELOPMENTS
There are a number of alterations taking place in urban transportation and service delivery. As outlined below, these developments are transforming the urban landscape as well as creating new ways of doing things for consumers, businesses, and governments.