Are Self-Driving Cars Good for Cities?

Autonomous vehicles, or self-driving cars, are often seen as the future of urban mobility, promising safer streets, smoother traffic, and more efficient transportation. But how autonomous vehicles are governed and regulated will ultimately determine their impact on cities. In this episode of Good for Cities, Matti Siemiatycki speaks with Andrew Miller about autonomous vehicles policy, safety regulation, and the evolving frameworks shaping self-driving cars in urban environments. They examine how automated driving systems operate in complex conditions, and what accountability looks like when technology replaces human drivers. The conversation also touches on mobility data governance and data privacy concerns, as autonomous vehicles generate and rely on large-scale transportation data. Andrew reflects on the broader transportation system impacts: will autonomous vehicles reduce congestion and complement public transit, or increase vehicle kilometres travelled and intensify gridlock? As cities across Canada and beyond prepare for greater automation, the episode considers how today’s regulatory and infrastructure decisions could shape urban transportation systems for decades. Tune in to explore the intersection of self-driving cars and urban policy and the question of whether this technology will actually make our cities better.