Dubai developers plan for driverless vehicles

05 September 2016

Emirate has set target of 25 per cent of transport being driverless by 2030

Dubai developers are incorporating flexibility into their long-term planning in response to fast-paced advances in driverless transportation.

In April this year, the emirate set a target of 25 per cent of transport being driverless by 2030, and this target is having implications on masterplan developers when they plan long-term projects.

The latest masterplan to be launched in Dubai is the $20bn Jumeirah Central development, and at a press briefing on 4 September, the project’s chief operating officer Morgan Parker outlined how driverless technology has become an opportunity for urban planners.

“Driverless transportation is coming up really fast, faster than any of us can imagine,” said Parker. ”There are already pilots taking place in Dubai, and Dubai aims to be a world leader in driverless vehicles. This site, being a city district of the future, will be at the forefront of those innovations.”

The potential impact on car parking is one of the key considerations. “If we start using driverless Ubers or public transport, maybe we don’t need to park as much as we did in the past,” said Parker. ”European cities are already experiencing that and parking demand in the core is going down. After a century of going up, it is now going down. Car parking structure become land banks for future development; cheap structures that can be take away when the need disappears.”

On 1 September, Dubai’s Roads & Transport Authority, in collaboration with Dubai developer Emaar Properties, began a month-long trial of a 700-metre-long driverless vehicle route on Mohammed bin Rashid Boulevard. Emaar says driverless vehicles will be used at its Dubai Creek Harbour development.

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