Driverless cars are coming and Australia is planning to be ready for them with a new study commissioned this week, a conference on the subject in Adelaide next month along with the first trials of driverless cars on Australian roads.
Austroads, the association of road transport and traffic agencies in Australia and New Zealand, has commissioned a study to assess the key issues road operators will face with the introduction of automated vehicles (AVs) on local roads.
Austroads Program Director Cooperative and Automated Systems, Stuart Ballingall, said the project is intended to review both international and local literature and initiatives, and seek the input of key stakeholders regarding the emerging requirements for AVs to operate on public and private road networks in urban and rural environments.
“The key deliverable from this project will be guidance to road agencies, private road operators and other key stakeholders on what changes may be required to the way road networks are managed, so there is a consistent approach towards supporting and optimising the outcomes from the introduction and use of automated vehicles,” said Ballingall.
The study will be undertaken by consultants WSP Parsons Brinckerhoff and the company’s section executive Scot Coleman said it is a matter of when not if automated vehicles begin operating on our roads.
“Estimates vary between five and twenty years for the introduction of AV on our roads,” said Coleman.
“Governments, road agencies and private road operators throughout the world will need to be ready to deal with the significant operational, social and economic ramifications of AV.”
Austroads’s Stuart Ballingall, WSP Parsons Brinckerhoff Principal ITS Engineer Scott Benjamin and Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss are attending the 22nd Intelligent Transport Systems World Congress in Bordeaux, France this week to meet with experts from around the globe to gain insights on industry best practice for the introduction of automated vehicles.
The first on-road trials of driverless cars in the southern hemisphere will take place next month in Adelaide in conjunction with the International Driverless Cars Conference.
Supported by the ARRB Australian Driverless Vehicle Initiative, the trials will take place on the Southern Expressway on the weekend of November 7 and 8 with a number of Volvo cars from its Drive Me project conducting manoeuvres such as overtaking, lane changing, emergency braking and the use of on and off ramps.
ARRB Managing Director Gerard Walton said the Australian Driverless Vehicle Initiative brings together technology partners Telstra and Bosch with automotive partner Volvo.
“Automated vehicles are far from science fiction, but rather a short-term reality that Australia needs to be prepared for,” Walton said.
The conference itself will be held at the Adelaide Convention Center on November 5-6 and will address subjects such as: how far away is driverless car technology, are we ready for it, what laws need to be changed, and what are the safety, mobility and community benefits?
South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill will open the conference and said the technology promises to not only improve safety, reduce congestion and lower emissions, but also provide a real opportunity for South Australia to become a key player in the emerging driverless vehicle industry.
“This trial presents a fantastic opportunity for South Australia to take a lead nationally and internationally in the development of this new technology and open up new opportunities for our economy,” the Premier said.
“It’s predicted that within just 15 years, the international driverless car industry will be worth $90 billion, so we want to encourage other global businesses to come to South Australia to develop and test their technologies.”
Keynote speakers include Volvo’s Senior Technical Leader in Crash Avoidance, Dr Trent Victor, an internationally recognised safety expert, currently focusing on minimising the risks of inattention or distraction caused by infotainment systems using eye-movement monitoring, designing crash avoidance active safety systems and autonomous drive functionality; and Dr Alan Stevens, from the UK Transport Research Laboratory, an internationally recognised expert in ‘Human-Machine Interaction’ (HMI) which concerns the behaviour and safety of drivers using in-vehicle technology.
Image courtesy: Volvo