As of late, the concept of self-driving cars has been growing in popularity, with Google freely testing its autonomous automobiles in California and numerous other car companies working on similar autopilot functions. However, while these companies obviously need to test their self-driving vehicles before moving them into the mainstream marketplace, the idea of them running those tests on busy roads has been alarming to many people. Do these cars know how to read traffic lights, brake lights, turn signals, road construction signs, or any other common traffic signals that could tell them to slow down or stop? And even if they theoretically do have those capabilities, would they not be better tested in a safer, more controlled environment than out on the road with other people.

All of these questions are being taken up by the University of Michigan Engineering College, which, according to a recent article in TechCrunch, is building a fake city in Southeast Michigan where self-driving vehicles can be tested safely and securely. The fake city will be dubbed an “automated vehicle testing site facility” and will be operated by the university’s Mobility Transformation Center.

The city will have virtually all of the traffic features of a regular center of civilization, including traffic lights, intersections, stop signs (and other road signs), sidewalks, buildings, railroad crossings, construction spots, roundabouts, merge lanes, and more. The difference between the city and, say, U of M’s home of Ann Arbor, is that it will not be filled with pedestrians, heavy traffic, businesses, or expensive university buildings. In other words, it is the perfect place to test out self-driving cars to see if they can handle a variety of different traffic situations. If they cannot and end up crashing off the road and into a building, or go barreling through an intersection during a red light, no harm done.

The goal of the Engineering College is to learn more about automated vehicles and to improve them over time through testing. The pursuit is a noble one, and it could lead to big leaps forward in the safety of self-driving cars. The only question that readers of the TechCrunch article had was this: Why is U of M spending so much money on building a fake abandoned city to test these vehicles when Detroit, of which entire sections have been left behind, is right down the road?