The future is now, people.

We've seen videos of them; we've heard that they're radically safer than human drivers, who constantly overlook dangers, overcorrect, or straight up fall asleep at the wheel. But self-driving cars will be right here in our streets before too long. Portland was one of 7 cities selected by the Washington-based tech firm INRIX as a test city for its pilot program for self-driving cars.

According to Bangor Daily News, the first stage of the program is mapping intersections and roadways in the city, with a focus on managing an increase in traffic congestion on Franklin and Commercial streets.

“This is just the beginning for Portland,” Portland City Manager Jon Jennings said in a statement to Bangor Daily News. “We are truly poised for additional growth in the technology sector, and mapping our city for [self-driving vehicle] usage is just the latest in a string of developments in which Portland is leading as a smart city and innovation hub of the East Coast.”[/pullquotes]

The other pilot locations for INRIX’s platform include Boston and Cambridge, Massachusetts; Austin, Texas; the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada, which includes Las Vegas; and Transport for West Midlands and Transport Scotland in the United Kingdom.

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