The potential implications of autonomous vehicles for active transport

Active transport (e.g., walking, cycling, and public transport) is associated with numerous health benefits and is the most environmentally sustainable means of personal transport. The introduction of autonomous vehicles (AVs) is expected to result in wide-scale changes to active transport behaviors.

Assessing the likely extent of these changes is important to inform strategies designed to minimize disruptions to active transport resulting from AVs.

An online survey was administered to a national sample of 1624 Australians of driving age (16 years and older). Respondents reported their current levels of engagement in walking, cycling, and/or public transport, and how likely they would be to use an AV instead of these activities. Regression models were used to explore how demographic, psychological, and various transport-related factors were associated with the likelihood of substituting AVs for each mode of active transport.