Self-Driving Experiment Testing Ely Residents’ Patience

Self-driving technology seems to be the wave of the future in the auto industry. Over the next few weeks, Ely residents are going to have to deal with a few delays in their present commuting needs in order to test that future.

What one group of Linn County officials thinks is a move toward progress is already causing concern and hassle for residents, some of whom, including truck driver Jeff Carmer told KCRG, the closure of one little mile is going to cause up to a 20-minute detour each way for them.

The National Advanced Driving Simulator team at the University of Iowa will be performing the test using a Tesla vehicle for self-driving research causing detours from Wright Brothers Blvd. East to 76th St. Southwest. This location was chosen, according to officials, because it had the best "physical features" among many sites they looked at to perform the experiment.

All Linn County officials are saying is "we're sorry", but are not changing their plans. Ely is a very small town but that doesn't mean its residents and commuters don't need to get around easily. Ely drivers think Johnson County, where the driving simulator board is based, is likely to have plenty of usable spots to perform this test without inconveniencing drivers.

How would you feel if a crucial stretch of your commute was effected, especially in the dangerous winter months, by an experiment into the feasibility of future technology?

Learn more here.

[Via KCRG]