Commuting To Work In The Back Seat TPN Investigates The Future

In the last few months, we have written articles about Autonomous vehicles.  Like all exciting future endeavors, there is great anticipation and an equal amount of exaggeration about how near the autonomous vehicle future is and all the changes it will bring to our world. We at TPN feel compelled to research and evaluate such programs to help us all prepare today for the challenges of tomorrow.   

Before we move into this article, which reports the findings of our most recent experiment, it might be helpful to our readers to briefly review all we have learned and where we are today.   

1. Vehicles have six rankings, ranging from Level 0 to Level 5, that take them from a standard vehicle to a fully autonomous vehicle. 

2. Many vehicles on the road today have some level of automated driving, like Level 1 or 2 technology, but it’s often overlooked that these features are baby steps toward full autonomy. For example, if your steering wheel redirects when you get close to the lines of a lane, that is autonomous technology at work. 

3. While there is little debate that fully operational, safe, and insured Level 5 vehicles will be on the road, we do not know the timeline.  

4. Level 4 test vehicles are on the roads in at least four American cities. These vehicles provide transportation to courageous (and/or terrified) patrons to improve the reliability and functionality of autonomous technology. Level 4 vehicles must pass rigorous testing before manufacturers can graduate them to a Level 5 vehicle, and individuals can purchase them. 

5. Based on our research and experience, the great move to Level 5 Autonomy is still somewhere beyond 5 years and may exceed 10 years.   

6. Our research also indicates that AI is and will play a significant role in moving the future closer to the present.   

7. The final concern is that the cost of autonomous vehicles will damper their immersion and slow the replacement of the 280 million private vehicle fleet.  

As our faithful readers know, TPN has provided financial and operational review programs for many parking facilities for over 27 years. TPN's Rule #1 is "Parking is a street business; if you're not on the streets, you are not in the parking business." TPN firmly believes in this rule, and we practice it ourselves. To do the best for our clients, we must visit properties and spend time on the streets.  Last month, being reliable consultants, we visited the site of our newest clients to learn all we could about their parking operation and management. We walked the garages, had meetings with management, squeezed in a webinar with a potential vendor, and accepted a call from a company that needed an audit. This we did with professionalism and a smile! However, lurking in our minds was the ever-present thought that we were within driving distance from a Level 4 vehicle. It was the carrot at the end of the workday! We were on the brink of hands-on research, ready to jump into action to ensure our readers – you! – could also benefit from our on-site visit.  Before we could write another article about Autonomous vehicles, we needed to get the app, request service, and take a ride in a driverless car.  It's a hard job, but someone has to do it. With the rush of purposed adrenaline, Krista, Leigh, and I put away the reports, closed the proposals, and headed to downtown San Francisco to become real-life, bona fide Waymo customers. 

The Waymo experience was much like hailing an Uber.  First, we downloaded the app, entered our information, and ordered a ride. While we waited, Leigh read the lengthy but very helpful resource page, which gave us a good idea of how this adventure would roll out. In a short time, the Level 4 autonomous vehicle arrived with our initials displayed on a dome-shaped screen on top of the car.  The doors were locked, and Krista used the app to unlock them. Krista reminisced just this morning that "I liked the idea of the Bluetooth proximity for the doors to open, and the initials on the top that alleviates confusion. There is no possible way to get in the wrong car." As we navigated the hailing and launching segment of the experiment, we noticed how the vehicle responded to pedestrians standing on the corner, which was impressive, and we felt relieved. As we saw first-hand how the car acquired and responded to data, we became curious about the different tests programmers performed to get the response level ready for traffic. 

The ride itself was as uneventful as it was astounding. The vehicle easily navigated all realities of downtown: foot traffic in crosswalks, other cars in multiple turn lanes, speed limits, and traffic lights. It was amazing that it used turn signals in an appropriate and timely manner (why this was amazing to us, I don't know). The steering wheel turned, and the dashboard displayed all the regular information, which no driver saw – only the crooked passengers with stretched-out necks to gaze upon the gauges! We took two short trips, about 12 minutes each, with 18 videos and more photos to prove it. We understand that some people fear or hesitate to ride in a driverless car, while others may be curious or eager. In hindsight, we agree that all these emotions are appropriate! 

Since we stayed around downtown, we never experienced a high rate of speed, which would have added excitement to the ride. How would emotions rise or change as the car speed increased?  

For some commuters, it would be easy to get accustomed to sitting in a car with no driver negotiating the busy and crowded streets of any big city, and for others, it would not be easy. We could go on and on about the experience but will save the details for another venue. [Editor addition: we go on and on about our ride in an upcoming episode of the Our Industry Podcast; stay tuned for its release sometime this summer.] While I am sensitive to those concerned about this, I'll admit that I'm ready. Bring on productive and naptime commutes! This was an absolutely great experience with a great team on a beautiful afternoon.   

So, how will autonomous vehicles impact the parking industry? It's too early to tell. We left our research project with much enthusiasm but even more questions. Will the need for parking spaces be eliminated? Or will it increase the need for parking spaces? Will there be more or fewer cars on the street? How will roadways need to change?  

Autonomous vehicles, other technological advances, and societal shifts are some of the major factors that will drive us into the future of transportation. For example, if more people work remotely, the daily traffic of people traveling to work would change - autonomous or not. Suppose autonomous vehicles become more populous than traditional transit. In that case, fewer people might desire to work remotely because they could be productive throughout their commute, so time and distance would be less of a factor. Working in the community might be a factor that impacts decisions in conjunction with the availability of autonomous vehicles. To answer these questions correctly requires more research and evaluation to enable a professional assessment.  The quick, uneducated, reactionary answer is, "I want one now; I will ride in it a lot, and we will need more parking spaces."   ​