Lyft Wants To Reduce Traffic On Wilshire Boulevard And Add Autonomous Cars
Lyft says it may have a solution to the traffic mess that is Wilshire Boulevard.
The ride-hailing company is partnering with designers at Perkins+Will and Nelson/Nygaard on a conceptual project to redesign Wilshire Boulevard, Engadget reports.
The proposal includes reducing the street to just three traditional lanes to help reduce traffic. That counterintuitive move would be paired with two autonomous bus lanes and a loading zone for car-sharing pickups. There would also be two bike lanes and wider sidewalks.
The proposal follows Lyft's autonomous vehicle partnership with Drive.ai, FastCoDesign reports.
The argument has been made that ride-sharing is one of the reasons traffic has worsened, since it puts more passengers in cars who might otherwise use public transit. With pedestrians, cyclists, autonomous public transit riders and car pools, Lyft officials say Wilshire Boulevard could serve up to 77,000 people per hour instead of the 29,600 it is serving today strictly as a 10-lane road.
The company is also working with the Southern California Association of Governments on a campaign that aims to improve local streets.
