Making the exurban commute without a driver

I've talked on this blog about many solutions to Baldwin Township residents' long commute to the city, including a community bus that could connect with the Northstar Commuter Rail in Elk River, ride-sharing and electric cars.

But there is a much more futuristic solution to Baldwin's long commute: autonomous vehicles.

Since one of the greatest expenses involved in bus transportation is the cost of employing drivers, driver-less vehicles could save some costs. Their backers claim they would be safer and run more frequently than driver-operated vehicles without raising costs significantly. Cost is one of the main factors standing in the way of a bus traveling from the Princeton/Baldwin/Zimmerman areas into Elk River. The lowered cost of an automated bus would make such a line more feasible for this community.

Automatically driven personal vehicles would completely change the experience of commuting. Instead of needing to concentrate on the road, commuters could relax or begin working for the day on their drive to work, which could cut down on the lost time commuting creates.

What if a commuter could read and answer work emails on the way to work or spend the commute home winding down, getting ready to enjoy life after reaching home? Automated vehicles could make commuting enjoyable.

But just how feasible is this idea?

A bus line or even electric cars that can drive exurban distances are probably closer to being implemented locally than the types of cars Netherlands company 2getthere markets and Google and other organizations are working on. But autonomous vehicles are getting closer to driving the streets.

In 2007, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) held a public competition for the development of fully automated vehicles they then pitted against one another in a series of simulated real-world driving experiences. Footage from The DARPA Urban Challenge can be seen in this video produced by TIME Magazine, which shows and describes how these cars are able to navigate without human assistance.

Autonomous vehicles use a system of computers to make the kinds of driving decisions humans make when they operate a car. A series of sensors surrounding the outside of the vehicle takes in information about where it is driving, then sends signals back to the computers to control the car. And controlling the car does not just mean the ultimate cruise control. These vehicles stop at stop signs, use GPS to decide where to make turns and even park on their own.

Today the work to create these vehicles is still being pushed forward by many companies, including Google -- whose cars have crossed the Golden Gate Bridge, driven the Pacific Cost Highway and even driven all the way around Lake Tahoe while automated, but with a technician on board. The Netherlands company 2getthere has created pilot projects at the Amsterdam Airport Schiphol and at a business park in Rivium, Netherlands. And VisLab has an automated vehicle that just completed an 8,000 mile trip from Italy to China.

The biggest obstacle is lack of an infrastructure in which they can operate safely. They are designed to work on everyday streets and are being tested there, but questions remain about how these cars will interact in a world that mixes automated vehicles with those driven by humans.

Would an automated vehicle make your life in the exurbs easier? Could this be part of the solution to Baldwin's long commute, or are more traditional options, such as extending current rail lines more preferable?

• Annandale watches special session for broadband help
• DNR pushes ahead with its groundwater planning
• Broadband providers seek $44 million from state fund