Evanston resident Ellen Montanaro loves biking, but her hobby comes with a recurring worry: cars. The 65-year-old said the arrival of self-driving vehicles in her neighborhood would only heighten her unease about cycling.
“I worry about cars hitting me every time I’m on the street,” Montanaro said. “I’m not convinced that (the vehicles) would be watching out for pedestrians and cyclists.”
Autonomous ride-hailing company Waymo announced Feb. 25 that it began using its vehicles to map Chicago, an initial step toward launching its service in the city. Residents said the arrival of self-driving cars could change daily commute times, street safety and sidewalk use.
Some lawmakers have proposed self-driving vehicles as a potential tool to improve road safety and accessibility.
In February, State Rep. Kam Buckner (D-Chicago) introduced the Autonomous Vehicle Pilot Project Act, which would create a framework for autonomous vehicle testing in some Illinois counties such as Cook County.
In a press release on Waymo’s website, Buckner said introducing self-driving cars is essential for creating “safer streets and more accessible transportation” in Chicago.
According to a 2025 study published in the Traffic Injury Prevention journal, Waymo vehicles recorded an 80% reduction in injury-causing crashes compared with human drivers.
Still, some Chicago-area residents said they are skeptical of the new technology. Evanston resident Kim Stover said she would not ride in an autonomous vehicle if the service expanded to Evanston. Her hesitation stems from her experience owning an “imperfect” electric car, she said.
“I’m not opposed to technology assisting the human driver, but I don’t agree with not having at least a judgment of a human in the car when things go wrong,” Stover said.
In addition to concerns about the safety of autonomous vehicle technology, some said they are worried about the impact on those who rely on driving for a living.
Bailey Koch is the director of communications at Service Employees International Union Local 1, a union that represents more than 50,000 workers across the Midwest.
She said she believes autonomous vehicles will have a detrimental effect on all Chicago drivers and result in many drivers losing their jobs, and that lawmakers and businesses should not rush the technology’s implementation.
“We want to ensure that drivers have a voice at that table and are at least given input,” Koch said. “There is a way to do this that’s responsible, so you’re still taking into consideration drivers’ well-being and prioritizing people over robots.”
Bret Johnson, interim director at the Northwestern University Transportation Center, said he believes local legislators took a cautious approach with the bill due to worry that the cars could replace the jobs at companies like Lyft, Uber and taxi services.
“This is one of the jobs we didn’t ever think was going to be replaced by (artificial intelligence), but now we do have robots that are going to be replacing drivers,” Johnson said. “(Companies) need to explain what they think the impact in the workforce is going to be.”
On the other hand, some residents said they are excited about the technology’s potential benefits.
Dennis Miller, an Evanston resident of more than 20 years, said he has friends who are no longer able to drive due to advanced age.
“I think self-driving cars could help my friends,” Miller said. “From what I read, they seem safer than human drivers.”
Some industry executives said that the long-term benefit of self-driving vehicles could outweigh workforce changes.
Carl Wellington, the vice president of autonomy at Aurora Innovation Inc., a self-driving trucking company, said he hopes self-driving vehicles will eventually eliminate vehicle accidents.
“I hope that my grandkids say, ‘I can’t believe you lived at a time where people died in car accidents,’” he said.
Email: [email protected]
Related Stories:
—Getting from A to B in Evanston and Chicago: Transportation at NU
—Chicago area transit fiscal cliff threatens Evanston’s expanded public transportation options
—Illinois lawmakers introduce Chicago area transit reform bills as fiscal cliff looms
