Connected/Automated Vehicles Resources

In 1926, the headline "'Phantom Auto' Will Tour City" may have been somewhat frightening for readers of the Milwaukee Sentinel. The newspaper article described how a driverless, radio controlled vehicle was scheduled to make its way down the streets of Milwaukee, WI, USA during a public demonstration, receiving radio signals from a car following behind. "It will start its own motor, throw in its clutch, twist its steering wheel, toot its horn, and it may even 'sass' the policeman at the corner."1

President's Message: Connected and Automated Vehicles

Communication technology is at the core of connecting smart city applications; the approach is to establish data communication with the roadway infrastructure, including the fixed assets and mobile devices, and then use available data to analyze the behavior of the roadway network, assess the performance of the systems in place (such as, traffic signals, message signs, speed limits), and devise ways to improve user mobility. The objective of this advanced, connected environment is to improve people's travel experience by addressing their safety, security, and mobility. By expanding the infrastructure to include cooperative Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) and Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I) data exchanges, we are able improve the safety of the motorists by reducing the frequency and severity of crashes.

Connected-vehicle technologies, applications, and potential benefits have been studied in the United States since 2003 when the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) initiated the Vehicle Infrastructure Integration (VII) program. With the real-time communication of vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure, connected vehicles provide extended distance for drivers to "see" around corners or "through" other vehicles, so safety threats and traffic changes can be perceived earlier. Many potential benefits of connected vehicles, in the areas of highway safety, traffic mobility, and vehicle emissions, have been tested in pilot deployments in the United States.2 The full benefits of connected-vehicle systems need all vehicles to be equipped with connected-vehicle devices and broadcast their movement status in real time. However, the number of connected vehicles are still limited compared to the total number of vehicles on road. It was estimated that the mixed traffic with connected vehicles and unconnected vehicles will last for the next decade.3 Benefit from the fast development of intelligent transportation system (ITS) technologies, it's possible to obtain real-time traffic data using loop detectors, video detectors, Bluetooth sensors, or radar sensors. But the data collected by those sensors do not meet the requirement of the connected-vehicle network.

This article presents research on the statistical properties of four parameters that affect a driver’s lane changing decision, using data from the Next Generation SIMulation database. The results show that: 1. there is statistical evidence to indicate that the population averages for each parameter differ based on time-of day; and 2. the gap parameters are best described by the log-normal distribution. This implies that autonomous vehicles should be programmed to behave differently at different times of the day.

Director's Message: Taking a Position on Connected and Automated Vehicles

Transportation as we know it is changing. Thanks to rapid advances in technology, along with changes in societal and generational expectations, those who are charged with owning, operating, and maintaining transportation infrastructure are adjusting to a new way of approaching their business on a daily basis.

ITE Releases Position Statement on Connected and Automated Vehicles

ITE member Gary F. Duncan, Econolite’s senior vice president and chief technology officer, recently retired on December 31, 2017. He joined Econolite in 1973, and during his tenure was responsible for the development of many of Econolite’s technologies and products, as well as helping establish many of the industry’s standards, including the communications standards for connected vehicles. Gary will remain in an executive advisory role for the company, and recently shared his experiences with ITE Journal.

Statement Concerning Vehicle-to-Vehicle Communications From the Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITS America), The Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) and the American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO), V2I Deployment Coalition

Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) leadership and partners around the Commonwealth of Virginia, USA are excited about the prospects of Connected and Automated Vehicles (CAV) and the benefits they bring to the citizens of the Commonwealth. This article highlights some of the key efforts by the Commonwealth in this regard.

Maricopa County, Arizona, USA is the fourth most populous and fastest growing county in the United States. It is comprised of 25 cities and towns and is built upon an extensive regional transportation network of freeways and arterial roads that serve as the backbone for connectivity for the Phoenix, AZ metro area. Growth is not a new concept to Maricopa County, and the Maricopa County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) has been developing solutions to improve traffic management in the region for more than 20 years.

For decades, the City of New York, NY, USA worked hard to deploy technology in order to help mobility and improve safety. Th e challenge was great in the City’s dense roadway environment given the tremendous vehicle-vehicle and vehicle-pedestrian conflicts at intersections and the number of incidents managed for the City’s highway network. Improvements progressively were accomplished by the modernization work done in the last 12 years to deploy advance control technology at all the 12,800 signalized intersections and integrating them online using wireless communication. This strategic work supported adaptive control through projects such as Midtown in Motion, Smart Lights, Transit Signal Priority, and bike lane control. However the New York City Department of Transportation’s (NYCDOT) priority has become intensive on traffic safety with Vision Zero initiatives, as in other cities, states, and federal DOTs. Improving traffic safety is not only a priority, but it is critically essential given the large number of incidents and fatalities and their costs on our society in the United States. Therefore, the NYCDOT has adopted the deployment of Connected Vehicle (CV) technology as another enabler for safer roadways as a new tool to help NYC reach its Vision Zero goals to eliminate traffic related deaths and reduce crash-related injuries as well as damage to both the vehicles and the infrastructure.

The connected and automated vehicles (CAV) space is rapidly shifting the spotlight from ideas and concepts, to deployment and implementation. The CAV discussions are also sharpening the focus at the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), where the Transportation Systems Management and Operations (TSM&O) Program aims to develop a sustainable Florida Connected and Automated Vehicles Initiative (Florida-CAVI) with the following objectives: • Leverage emerging technologies (ET) for research with a goal to field-deploy; • Invite industry to Florida for availing testing and implementation opportunities; • Create a CAVI-friendly and deployment-centric infrastructure; and • Develop cross-disciplinary institutional framework.

Bringing Connected Vehicles to a City Near You

Connected and Automated Vehicles: Challenges and Opportunities of New Vehicle Technologies on our Transportation Infrastructure

OMG, The World is Changing Hey Wait a Second, There’s No Driver: What Does the Future Hold When Vehicles Are Automated