Why driverless vehicles should not be given unchecked access to our cities

In the absence of these two conditions,

autonomous vehicles could lead to a decline in active travel in cities and an increase in economic, social and environmental costs. Potential costs are rarely mentioned in the rhetoric about autonomous vehicles, much of which is highly optimistic.

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However, universal or widespread access to the city by autonomous vehicles could result in detrimental outcomes. Not least of these impacts are on active travel and public health. Depending on the conditions under which autonomous vehicles are allowed to operate in the city, we can expect a range of impacts with direct or indirect implications for walking and cycling.

How could these vehicles have harmful impacts?

Currently, access to or from public transport stops usually involves a short walk or cycle ride for many people. In the future, some people might choose to use autonomous vehicles to reach the bus, train or tram stop instead of walking or cycling. Or they might choose to move away from public transport and switch to autonomous vehicles completely. Clearly, both situations would reduce active travel.

https://phys.org/news/2018-09-driverless-vehicles-unchecked-access-cities.html