How Roads Change When Introducing Green Slow Mobility Without Drivers—Experiences in Japan?

Abstract

In Japan, Green Slow Mobility (GSM) is promoted now. The GSM services have been introduced as a solution for first/last mile mobility issue. The word “Green” means that vehicles are normally using EVs. The word “Slow” rules the speeds of vehicles being slower than 20 km/h in operation. Japan is number one super-aged country in the World. The mobility issue for the elderly is a very serious social issue. In many areas, the GSM services have or will have contributed to give the first/last mile mobility solutions for all people, which are especially welcomed by the elderly. Another important purpose is to provide a sustainable service in the areas where the population decreased and aged rapidly. As for this point, a self-driving car/autonomous car/driverless car is mostly expected. At present, most in-operation services or experiments are not using driverless vehicles in Japan. However, several challenges have been in operation already. Although there are not enough examples/cases to draw a conclusion, a review of the experiences in Japan may encourage us to think about how the roads will change in the coming years. In this paper, the author is to describe the present experiences of the GSM services in Japan. Then the plans to promote the driverless vehicles are introduced. Consequently, how the roads may change is discussed.