UC Davis

The possible emergence of automated vehicles on public road ways presents numerous challenges and opportunities for all levels of government in the US. Automated vehicle (AV) technology can achieve equitable outcomes if operated by mobility service providers with shared rides, greatly reducing the cost of travel and thereby increasing mobility for the mobility disadvantaged and reducing reliance on car-centric infrastructure. However, if AVs are personally owned, they could exacerbate existing inequities by reinforcing car-centric transportation and leaving behind vulnerable populations who could benefit from AV technology the most.

This thesis explores how to steer the adoption of AVs to an equitable and sustainable future by creating an AV justice framework informed by the unjust history of US transportation investments and policy. In examining the history of US transportation planning and policy, I will consider historic injustices pertaining to mobility, environmental and transportation justice. This examination will inform the development of the AV justice framework which will be applied to the planning and policy landscape of state and local governments in California, Arizona, and Michigan. Trends in each state indicate that local governments are the primary leaders in progressing towards achieving AV justice with the exception of California. At the state level, economic development priorities seem to dominate while sustainability and equity have taken a back seat when compared to progress at the local level.