Social impact of CAVs -- coexistence of machines and humans in the context of route choice

TL;DR

This paper explores how the integration of connected autonomous vehicles (CAVs) into urban traffic can influence human driver behavior and overall network efficiency, highlighting potential benefits and disadvantages for different stakeholders.

Contribution

It introduces a model analyzing the impact of centrally coordinated CAVs on route choice dynamics and urban traffic performance in mixed traffic systems.

Findings

CAVs can improve or worsen traffic efficiency depending on their coordination strategy.

Human drivers may benefit or be disadvantaged by CAV integration.

Regulatory measures may be necessary to ensure equitable and efficient outcomes.

Abstract

Suppose in a stable urban traffic system populated only by human driven vehicles (HDVs), a given proportion (e.g. 10%) is replaced by a fleet of Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CAVs), which share information and pursue a collective goal. Suppose these vehicles are centrally coordinated and differ from HDVs only by their collective capacities allowing them to make more efficient routing decisions before the travel on a given day begins. Suppose there is a choice between two routes and every day each driver makes a decision which route to take. Human drivers maximize their utility. CAVs might optimize different goals, such as the total travel time of the fleet. We show that in this plausible futuristic setting, the strategy CAVs are allowed to adopt may result in human drivers either benefitting or being systematically disadvantaged and urban networks becoming more or less optimal. Consequently, some regulatory measures might become indispensable.