Automaattiautojen vaikutukset liikkumistottumuksiin

The automation of road traffic has developed significantly in recent years and it is anticipated that automated vehicles will be commonplace in the markets during the first half of the 2020s. The automation of traffic will also change the transport system and traffic behaviour. Automated vehicles are expected to increase people’s mobility, to change typical mobility habits, and to bring significant benefits to the transport system, including improvements in traffic safety and transport efficiency. The objective of this research was to clarify how automated vehicles will affect people’s mobility and to gauge people’s readiness to use automated vehicles. The research consisted of a literature review, a wide ranging postal survey expert workshops and these enabled the research questions to be addressed.

In the literature it, is estimated that the total number of person-kilometres could increase by 10-40 % from current levels as the result of automated vehicles. 60 % of the survey respondents believe that they would travel more by passenger car if travelling was cheaper than at present. Also in the expert workshop it was recognised that the automation of transport could increase the number of person-kilometres travelled even though the changes brought about by digitalisation at the same time could reduce the need for travel.

The impact of automated vehicles on the modal split between different modes of transport is still unclear. Several pieces of research have confirmed that automated vehicles could increase the share of passenger cars as a mode of transport by as much as 10-30 %, but according to some research, the automation of transport could reduce the share of passenger cars as a mode of transport. In the survey questions regarding choice of mode of transport, those who currently use public transport considered that owning an automated car was a better alternative than owning a passenger car so the proportion of car journeys could increase. In spite of the increased attraction of passenger cars, the experts expect the share of walking and cycling as well as of public transport to increase in Finland in the future with developments in land use planning, mobility management and changing values.

Automated vehicles can make car sharing services more attractive than car ownership. According to research, about 66 % of Finns do not feel they would need to own an automated vehicle in the future if automated taxis were always available and the annual costs of an automated taxi were lower for the user than the costs of owning their own car. The experts also expect a reduction in car ownership and the car fleet to gradually move more and more towards car sharing.

People’s attitudes towards automated vehicles have not been studied in Finland before. The results of this study confirm that most Finns have a positive attitude towards automated vehicles. However, there are also many people who are opposed to automated vehicles, who would not wish automated vehicles to become widespread at any price. However, it can be concluded that on average, Finns are fairly ready to try out and use automated vehicles as long as their safety and reliability can be guaranteed.