Michael E. Arth: pedestrianize

Consider the implications of zero-emission, self-driving cars, which are already being tested in prototype. With enlightened public policy, autonomous vehicles could replace most privately owned vehicles within a decade. If you can have any kind of vehicle (even a small two-wheeled conveyance) come to you when you need it, at less cost and with greater safety, you don’t need to own a car. Over 90% of the time, private cars are parked somewhere, taking up space and resources. If people don’t own cars, a smaller number of vehicles can be in near-constant circulation, thus reducing the overall numbers by 80-90%. This would allow us to convert most parking spaces and garages to more useful and attractive uses. We could also pedestrianize more streets and convert on-street parking lanes into medians for street trees and wider sidewalks.

One current problem is the distance between transportation modes. For example, I live 7 kilometers from the train station and, with luggage, I’d have to drive there and leave my car parked at the station, or hire a taxi and driver. When I get off the train, I’d have to hire another taxi and driver to get to the final destination. Driverless cars can fill the inter-model distances at a fraction of the cost of car ownership, reduce greenhouse gases, and eliminate human-caused car accidents, which result in millions of injuries and fatalities.

Seven percent of the U.S. Gross Domestic Product is spent on car accidents, which is almost as much as the 9.5% that Europeans spend to fund their nationalized health care (including car accident related injuries). The U.S. inefficiently spends 18% of it’s GDP on health care. Switching to self-driving cars in the U.S. would save enough money to fund all remaining U.S. health car services, if the entire system was run like Medicare.

About Michael E. Arth

Michael E. Arth is an artist, home, landscape & urban designer, green builder, social activist and public policy analyst, advocate for the homeless, filmmaker, futurist, public speaker, and author. Additionally, he rebuilt 32 homes and businesses in a former slum in DeLand, FL, turning it into the Historic Garden District. In 1999 he founded New Pedestrianism, a more ecological and pedestrian-oriented branch of New Urbanism, with the purpose of designing new towns and neighborhoods. In June 2009 he announced he was a candidate for Governor of Florida.