Winnipeg must prepare for self-driving cars, St. Boniface councillor says

St. Boniface Coun. Matt Allard wants Winnipeg to be ready for self-driving cars.

The rookie councillor has authored a motion calling on city staff to draw up a report about how the city may be impacted by self-driving vehicles.

"There is a growing consensus that the rise of self-driving vehicles will have profound implications on transportation, land use and urban planning," he wrote in a motion that will come before council's Riel community committee on Friday.

"This technology will not likely come into widespread use gradually, but is expected to be taken up widely and rapidly."

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Allard's motion calls on city staff to look into the land-use, traffic, planning, parking and policing implications of self-driving vehicles, among other areas.

While council has entered the summer prorogation, a few community committees — made up of three councillors — are still meeting. Motions that come before community committees usually must go to a standing committee of council before they have any effect.