It's also possible that cyclists can adapt to sharing roads with robots. Perhaps by RFID-tagging their bikes, or wearing something LIDAR-visible. At least the a

It's also possible that cyclists can adapt to sharing roads with robots. Perhaps by RFID-tagging their bikes, or wearing something LIDAR-visible. At least the autonomous vehicles aren't deliberately hostile, and conflicts between cyclists and drivers over road rules designed around cars, not bikes, might be restructured. The knock-on effects are more interesting, in some ways. A nation where shared, autonomous vehicles are normal would likely have a totally different set of considerations in urban planning. Cars and spontaneous roadtrains can take the place of light rail and urban transport. Inner-city parking might disappear, and commutes could be much longer. You can imagine two effects: suburbs could really spread out for those who want space and don't mind a couple of hours each way reading the newspaper or snoozing, and cities can concentrate and build way up as you no longer have to build parking space into apartments. A more densely populated city with fewer dedicated drivers might have more political reasons to become bike-friendly.