Drivers: what’s happening
The premise of AV adoption in dense urban areas is smoother traffic flow with fewer accidents. The resulting decrease in car ownership is positioned to free up urban space. Europe has entered a phase of on-street AV experimentation, with several cities launching shuttles and robotaxi pilots this year. Europe still lags behind the U.S. and China in AV deployment, and these pilots aim to push European adoption forward.
Meanwhile, in the US, Waymo has been operating driverless cars in Austin, Los Angeles and San Francisco since 2025. Waymo's autonomous vehicles in San Francisco are evolving to exhibit more human-like driving behaviours, to integrate more naturally with human drivers. The AVs now perform subtle actions such as rolling at crosswalks and honking when cut off. As William Riggs, an engineering professor at the University of San Francisco, described it to the San Francisco Chronicle, “From an evolutionary standpoint, you're seeing a lot more anticipation and assertiveness from the vehicles.” David Margines, Waymo's Director of Product Management, claims that “being an assertive driver means that you're more predictable, that you blend into the environment, that you do things that you expect other humans on the road to do.”
The numbers
Renault and WeRide launched a free driverless mini-bus test in downtown Barcelona. The Renault mini-bus in Barcelona operates at Level 4 autonomy, functioning within a defined area with remote supervision.
Source: Renault Group
The Waymo driverless taxis are busier than 99% of human drivers.
Human-like behaviour has been observed in Waymo cars across three cities: Phoenix, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.
Source: San Francisco Chronicle
Source: Renault Group
Urban shifts
Automated honking
However, these aren’t human drivers, and human drivers infamously aren’t the best (at driving). Humans respond to real-time social settings, while AVs navigate using an array of sensors that rely on clear road cues. The premise around AV adoption presents dynamic traffic lights that adjust in real time using sensor and navigation data. Darrell M. West, a senior governance studies fellow at the Centre for Technology Innovation (CTI) at Brookings, suggests that wider AV adoption will open more pedestrian walkways, bike lanes, and pickup/drop-off zones while shrinking traditional street lanes and parking areas. In the meantime, urban layouts that are built for human drivers trigger human-like reactions from AVs in unexpected situations. Waymo driverless cars are coming alive at night, honking at each other and waking residents around the San Francisco parking lot where they sit when not making trips. According to CBS News, the driverless taxi company has rented a lot outside of an apartment building for the cars to idle in, but the vehicles appear to be honking at each other, as they are trained to do on the road when other cars get close to them.
Source: ABC News
What does it mean for your city?
City layouts are not designed to accommodate AVs, which rely on sensors and machine learning to navigate. Without proper infrastructure, the promised benefits of AVs remain unrealised. In preparation for their next pilot location, Waymo are mapping San Antonio with human drivers, reinforcing human-like behaviour patterns. Researchers simulate realistic crowd behaviour through models to estimate risk and potential harm
Strategic opportunity
When designing policies implementing autonomous mobility, try to look further than urban design; ask yourself, “Is this a taxi, or a robot? Is this mobility, or interaction?”
