OK. You've just acquired your new self-driving car. You think of taking it to downtown San Francisco to have lunch with a friend.

Question: Where will you park it?

Answer: Don't park it at all!
Just let it cruise around, in the most congested traffic near the downtown restaurant where you will eat.

Since the parking is expensive and the streets are free, it will be much cheaper if you just tell your car to cruise. Chaos could ensue.

Click on the image above to watch a one-minute video that summarizes this situation. For a longer summary click on this link, which also has a link to Millard-Ball's new extensive research on this knotty problem, along with suggestions as to what can be done about it.