 |
| Cruising across rural Minnesota, the autonomous vehicle. (Photo by Jiahong Pan, The Daily Yonder) |
"A Toyota Sienna, looks different from a regular Sienna. It has a cylinder mounted just above the windshield. Someone is in the driver's seat, but they aren’t actually driving. Instead, they are outfitted with a headset, ready to take over in case something goes wrong. To their left, a mobile device shows where the vehicle is going. It also plays the baseball charge tune every time the vehicle goes through an intersection."
Five of the autonomous vehicles were sent out for testing in September, and "for the following 18 months they will navigate around Grand Rapids," writes Pan. "In conditions unfamiliar to them: snow, extreme cold, and lots and lots of trees. If it works out, it could prove to be a solution to help those with limited mobility who live in remote, rural areas get around. It could also affect the workforce for good, and for bad."
The shortage of transportation alternatives in Grand Rapids and other rural communities is striking, and it is amplified if an individual is handicapped. "Today, more people with limited mobility are living in rural America," Pan reports. "For rural counties across the United States with no concentrated core population of 10,000 people or greater, 18% lived with a disability in 2019, up from 17.71% in 2014. In Itasca County, which contains Grand Rapids, 17% of residents lived with a disability in 2020, up from 15% in 2012."
This is where Myrna Peterson, a retired teacher who uses a wheelchair, comes in. "She founded Mobility Mania, which partnered with the Minnesota Department of Transportation, the city of Grand Rapids, May Mobility, New York City-based transportation technology company Via, and a St. Paul, Minnesota-based consulting firm called The Plum Catalyst, to deploy the project, called goMARTI," Pan writes. "MARTI stands for Minnesota’s Autonomous Rural Transit Initiative, the project cost $3.5 million to deploy, with a share of this funding coming from the state."
The autonomous vehicle may be paving the way for rural future. And likely there will be multiple challenges. "There may be more autonomous vehicle systems — and more workforce changes and development opportunities — to come for rural communities," Pan reports. "The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed last year includes $500 million over the next five years for public agencies to develop autonomous vehicle systems. Pending rulemaking as of this writing, applicants might not need to comply with Buy America provisions, potentially allowing them to work with providers overseas to deploy projects across the nation."
Five of the autonomous vehicles were sent out for testing in September, and "for the following 18 months they will navigate around Grand Rapids," writes Pan. "In conditions unfamiliar to them: snow, extreme cold, and lots and lots of trees. If it works out, it could prove to be a solution to help those with limited mobility who live in remote, rural areas get around. It could also affect the workforce for good, and for bad."
The shortage of transportation alternatives in Grand Rapids and other rural communities is striking, and it is amplified if an individual is handicapped. "Today, more people with limited mobility are living in rural America," Pan reports. "For rural counties across the United States with no concentrated core population of 10,000 people or greater, 18% lived with a disability in 2019, up from 17.71% in 2014. In Itasca County, which contains Grand Rapids, 17% of residents lived with a disability in 2020, up from 15% in 2012."
This is where Myrna Peterson, a retired teacher who uses a wheelchair, comes in. "She founded Mobility Mania, which partnered with the Minnesota Department of Transportation, the city of Grand Rapids, May Mobility, New York City-based transportation technology company Via, and a St. Paul, Minnesota-based consulting firm called The Plum Catalyst, to deploy the project, called goMARTI," Pan writes. "MARTI stands for Minnesota’s Autonomous Rural Transit Initiative, the project cost $3.5 million to deploy, with a share of this funding coming from the state."
The autonomous vehicle may be paving the way for rural future. And likely there will be multiple challenges. "There may be more autonomous vehicle systems — and more workforce changes and development opportunities — to come for rural communities," Pan reports. "The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed last year includes $500 million over the next five years for public agencies to develop autonomous vehicle systems. Pending rulemaking as of this writing, applicants might not need to comply with Buy America provisions, potentially allowing them to work with providers overseas to deploy projects across the nation."
No comments:
Post a Comment