Autonomous vehicle (AV) technology offers a high possibility of fundamentally changing transportation. Unlike conventional driving that is responsible for substantial costs borne by the driver (e.g., fuel, depreciation, insurance), and “negative externalities” (traffic accidents, congestion, noise, air pollution, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions), it has the potential to affect safety substantially, congestion, energy use, and, ultimately, land use.
Equipping cars and light vehicles with technologies such as crash warning systems, adaptive cruise control (ACC), lane-keeping systems, and self-parking technology that enable a vehicle to assist and make decisions for a human driver, will likely reduce crashes, energy consumption, and pollution—and reduce the costs of congestion.
To maximize the social benefits of autonomous vehicles, careful policymaking is necessary. In recent years, several private research organizations have come up with their reports and guidance for policymakers at the state and federal levels to make wise policy decisions in today’s rapidly evolving AV market. This post presents a list of some of the key guidance published by organizations on autonomous vehicles technology.
Foreseeing the Impact of Transformational Technologies on Land Use and Transportation
This report guides how state and local agencies can address transformational technologies in their policymaking and planning tools, products, and processes. It evaluates the technologies (such as wireless telecommunications, shared vehicles, connected vehicles, fully autonomous vehicles, alternative-fuel vehicles, smart cities and communities, internet-of-things, and UAVs and drones) and their applications in the transportation sector, exploring a wide variety of potential impacts on travel, land use, and planning.
Read the full report here.
Blueprint for Autonomous Urbanism
This report focuses on policies that prioritize efficiency and equity in the advent of an autonomous future. It urges the policymakers to realize that the autonomous future must be guided by thoughtful, bold, transformative public policy and street design practices that reduce driving and vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and offer mobility and opportunity to everyone, not just those in cars.
Read the full report here.
Importance and Role of Connectivity
This report summarizes the February 2019 mini-workshop on the importance and role of connectivity within the automated vehicles and shared mobility environment. Key takeaways suggest that more consumer awareness is to be created on both connected and automated vehicles. The report emphasizes that two critically important reasons for connectivity include redundancy and the ability to see what sensors cannot. Connectivity may require a different legislative and regulatory framework. Other takeaways include that consistency and interoperability are critical to the successful deployment of connectivity. There is fear regarding the liability of a failure in connectivity, exploring uses cases for connectivity is important, and the number of devices on the road should not be the sole measure of readiness.
Read the full report here.
Driverless Cars and Accessibility: Designing the Future of Transportation for People with Disabilities
This report summarizes the challenges faced by people with disabilities and speculates as to what requirements might be necessary for a truly accessible vehicle that is “fully automated” and “fully accessible.” The report draws charrettes on “The Future of Autonomous Vehicles and the Disability Community” and “Fully Accessible and Automated Vehicles,” hosted at ITS America and the Transportation Research Board in Washington, D.C., respectively.
Read the full report here.
Smart Transport for Cities & Nations: The Rise of Self-Driving & Connected Vehicles
This report, published by the University of Texas at Austin, discusses impacts that connected and automated vehicles (CAVs) may have on the transportation community. This report covers legal and policy issues, current CAV public opinions, models for estimating the benefits of safety and traffic operations, discussion of current technology options, and case studies evaluating ridesharing and other technology scenarios.
Read the full report here.
Dedicating Lanes for Priority or Exclusive Use by Connected and Automated Vehicles
This report identifies and evaluates opportunities, constraints, and guiding principles for implementing dedicated lanes for connected and automated vehicles. This report describes conditions amenable to dedicating lanes for users of these vehicles and develops the necessary guidance to deploy them safely and efficiently. This analysis helps identify potential impacts associated with various conditions affecting lane dedication, market penetration, evolving technology, and changing demand.
Read the full report here.
Updating Regional Transportation Planning and Modeling Tools to Address Impacts of Connected and Automated Vehicles
This report guides to help agencies update their modeling and forecasting tools to address the impacts of connected and automated vehicles (CAVs) on transportation, road capacity, and other components of travel demand. Under long-range transport planning requirements, state transportation departments and regional metropolitan planning organizations must have a multimodal transport plan with a minimum 20-year time horizon because manufacturers and shared fleet operators are suggesting that significant numbers of CAVs will be present on the highway system well before 2038.
Read the full report here.
Implications of Automation for Motor Vehicle Codes
This report provides guidance and resources for state transportation departments (DOTs) and motor vehicle departments to assist with the legal changes resulting from the rollout of connected and automated vehicles. The six volumes include Legal Landscape, State Legal and Regulatory Audit, Legal Modification Prioritization and Harmonization Analysis, Autonomous Vehicle Action Plan, Developing the Autonomous Vehicle Action Plan, and Implementation Plan.
Read the full report here.
Autonomous Vehicle Pilots Across America
This report provides a municipal action guide intended to give cities the ability to understand better and approach the impending autonomous vehicle rollout. It outlines the current typologies of how cities and other levels of government work with the private sector to begin integrating self-driving cars on the roadways. It provides the reader with an analysis of the current legal/regulatory structure, the state of AV pilot programs, city approaches to AV pilots, best city practices across the country, action steps to move forward on city leadership.
Read the full report here.
Advice on Automated and Zero Emissions Vehicles Infrastructure
This report provides advice on what infrastructure is required to pave the way for highly automated and zero-emissions vehicles in Victoria, Australia. Includes 17 recommendations in total, tested against the context of seven possible scenarios for the future and key triggers for action.
Read the full report here.
Governors Staying Ahead of the Transportation Innovation Curve – A Policy Roadmap for States
This report reviews the challenges facing states as they seek to address concerns and reap the benefits of new technology in transport. Introduces seven strategies for governors to help prepare their states to embrace innovation in transportation.
Read the full report here.
Guidelines for the Regulation and Management of Shared Active Transportation
This report sets standards for cities to manage businesses (including dockless bike sharing and scooter sharing) that are not otherwise supervised or selected through competitive procurement processes or contracts and set minimum standards that all cities should require to manage the new industry city streets.
Read the full report here.
Jurisdictional Guidelines for the Safe Testing and Deployment of Highly Automated Vehicles
This report assists motor vehicles and law enforcement agencies, which are testing the use of Level 3, 4, and 5 automated vehicles in their jurisdiction, by providing voluntary guidance and recommendations to assist agencies to create a consistent regulatory approach across jurisdictions.
Read the full report here.
Paving the Way for Autonomous and Connected Vehicle Technologies in the Motor Carrier Industry
This report illustrates the potential safety considerations and infrastructure needs in the motor carrier industry to support the mass adoption of autonomous and connected vehicles. As a primary policy concern, this report focuses on infrastructure requirements.
Read the full report here.
Understanding How Cities Can Link Smart Mobility Priorities Through Data
This report presents a framework for evaluating technological impacts on city-related transportation projects. This report focuses on how safety, equity, environment, energy, and congestion can be improved with data.
Read the full report here.
Preparing Communities for Autonomous Vehicles
This report summarizes the findings of a symposium and research on the implications of autonomous vehicles in cities. It is intended for planners and officials of local governments involved in land-use planning, urban design, and transport. Readers will learn about the need to plan for autonomous vehicles’ potential benefits and negative impacts and what steps they can take to prepare their communities now.
Read the full report here.
Advancing Automated and Connected Vehicles: Policy and Planning Strategies
This report evaluates policy and planning strategies at the state, regional, and local levels that could positively influence the choices of private-sector automated vehicles (AV) and connected vehicles (CV) to impact societal goals. The report aims to help agencies explore actions that could increase the likelihood that AV and CV technologies will have beneficial effects on traffic crashes, congestion, pollution, land development, and mobility.
Read the full report here.
State CEO Leadership Forum on Connected & Autonomous Vehicles and Transportation Infrastructure Readiness
This report summarizes the discussion and background information for the state CEO panel held in conjunction with the 2017 ITS World Congress in Montreal. It includes CAV state-of-the-art, DSRC, and 5G, progressing independently of federal action, cybersecurity, workforce, coordination, collaboration, messaging, and CAV preparation by state DOTs.
Read the full report here.
New Mobility – Autonomous Vehicles and the Region
This report highlights key recommendations for the New York-New Jersey-Connecticut metropolitan area from the RPA ‘s Fourth Regional Plan. This includes policy recommendations on autonomous vehicles, the movement and autonomy of goods, the shared economy and social equity, and impacts on the built environment.
Read the full report here.
Future Cities: Navigating the New Era of Mobility
This report evaluates the potential impacts of CAVs and innovative mobility services on Michigan state local communities. These technologies and services promise many benefits to local communities in Michigan, but in many cases, new infrastructure or policies are needed to maximize their societal benefits and overall effectiveness. This policy development and deployment of infrastructure will often require an innovative and collaborative approach, in partnership with private organizations, between local government units, state agencies.
Read the full report here.
Autonomous Vehicles: A Policy Preparation Guide
This report is an overview of AV technology, and answers frequently asked questions about AV manufacturers to city leaders, public policy considerations, municipal coordination, and investment in infrastructure.
Read the full report here.
Travel Modeling in an Era of Connected and Automated Transportation Systems
This report examines the state of technology for autonomous vehicles (AVs) and connected vehicles (CVs). It discusses adoption predictions and proposes multiple potential planning scenarios to reflect the wide range of potential connected and autonomous vehicles impacts.
Read the full report here.
