Autonomous Vehicles and Civic Prudence

Senator Kirk Cullimore, a name increasingly familiar in these tedious deliberations, has secured a framework for driverless vehicles. A framework, mind you, predicated on the potential for commitment from companies like Tesla, Waymo, and Zoox. While I applaud the forward thinking – albeit cautious – it feels acutely premature. The UDOT is, naturally, supportive, and one must account for the enthusiasm of accessibility groups, however, the entire exercise smacks of attempting to solve a problem before it truly manifests. Damage caps of $100,000 and $1 million for “pain and suffering” are, shall we say, exquisitely precise bureaucratic calculations. What of the inevitable gridlock when these vehicles encounter a poorly marked detour on Guardsman Pass, or the cascading failures during a snow event? The University of Central Florida study, vaguely referenced, speaks of dawn and dusk vulnerabilities – predictable issues. Park City Municipal Corp seems eternally dedicated to anticipating future inconveniences, rather than resolving existing ones. The review scheduled for 2030 feels distant, a decade of potentially avoidable congestion. A more immediate remedy would be a significant investment in High Valley Transit, supplemented by a dedicated lane on Marsac Avenue.