I’m a self-confessed NIMBY when it comes to streetcars next to the Beltline. Living nearby, I don’t want them there. But call me schizophrenic, too, because I can get behind self-driving pods filling that same space. Is one really better than the other? You bet.
Here are a few of the advantages of driverless pods over streetcars:
Credit: handout
Credit: handout
Cost efficiency: They are generally cheaper to implement and maintain than streetcars. The initial investment and ongoing operational costs are lower, making them a more financially viable option.
Scalability: They can be easily scaled up or down based on demand, allowing for more efficient use of resources and better accommodation with respect to peak and off-peak hours.
Moreover, if for some reason driverless pods unexpectedly prove to be no more popular than the streetcar has been, the path created for it could be converted into one for wheels of another sort, such as bicycles and scooters. With abandoned streetcars, we would be stuck with tracks and wires in place, languishing as an eyesore indefinitely.
Noise level: They are smaller and lighter than streetcars, which means they produce less noise when in operation.
Technological Innovation: Implementing self-driving pods can position Atlanta as a leader in adopting cutting-edge transportation technology, attracting investment and fostering innovation in the region.
If you were to distill the essential differences to a single sentence, it would read: Driverless vehicles represent the future; streetcars the past. Indeed, the future is now, right here in the Atlanta area: at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, around Truist Park and in downtown Atlanta itself.
The Atlanta airport is unveiling perhaps the most ambitious and far-reaching project. Working with the autonomous car company Glydways, it will deploy driverless pods to serve the Georgia International Convention Center near the airport in a pilot program that is scheduled to start in 2026. Glydways told Fox 5 Atlanta that the system can handle up to 10,000 people an hour, and if the pilot succeeds it could serve the entire airport and surrounding areas.
Think about it. If self-driving pods can succeed at the busiest airport in the world, they can more than pass muster at the Beltline. As Gerald McDowell, executive director of the ATL Airport Community Investment District, put it, “Personal rapid transit, as well as micro transit and autonomous shuttles, we believe is the future of public transportation.” In other words, not just at the airport.
Elsewhere, the Cumberland Community Improvement District has partnered with Beep, a leader in mobility solutions, to introduce a self-driving vehicle called the Hopper to serve destinations around Truist Park. It started out as an eight-month pilot ending earlier this year but is reported to be part of a major mobility project that is in design with construction to begin in 2027.
And, of course, watch out for driverless cars, a close relative of self-driving pods. They’re on the cusp of coming to town too, courtesy of Uber and others.
Given these advancements, it seems anachronistic or even quaint to continue to lobby for streetcars. It’s sort of like trying to bring back the Ford Model-T. Actually that’s being unfair to the Model-T. It started rolling off the assembly line in the early 1900s, whereas the first electric streetcars made their debut in 1886. Sure, there have been substantial improvements since then, but not in ways that keep pace with transit technology overall.
The downtown streetcar has been a monumental failure. Doubling down on that failure by adding it to and alongside the Beltline would be misguided. If, as the officials of Hartsfield-Jackson and many others seem to think, driverless vehicles are the future of public transportation, that should include in the vicinity of the Beltline.
Not long ago, Mayor Andre Dickens met with residents of the Inman Park neighborhood, and the topic of putting streetcars next to the Beltline came up. He made it clear that he is keeping his options open as to what sort of transit is appropriate there. One option he cited, however, as a possible alternative to streetcars was self-driving pods. That’s an option this NIMBY can get on board with.
Jay Miller, a semiretired lawyer who lives in Atlanta, is an active supporter of Better Atlanta Transit.
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