Planning for Connected and Automated Vehicles

Full Description:

Connected and automated vehicle (CAV) technologies have the potential to improve safety, alter transport costs, impact traffic patterns and congestion and fundamentally change mobility around the world. Though full deployment of CAVs is years away at best, government officials, planners, and economic developers are beginning to consider the potential influences of this new technology on their roadways, streetscapes, and investment decisions. They want to know how best to take advantage of the benefits these technologies can offer constituents while also being mindful of the impacts CAVs will have on transportation, infrastructure, land use, and municipal budgets.

With funding from the Greater Ann Arbor Region’s Prosperity Initiative, the Center for Automotive Research and Public Sector Consultants, along with guidance from the Michigan Municipal League, developed a report identifying key policy considerations and recommendations to prepare communities for CAV deployment. The report, titled Planning for Connected and Automated Vehicles, provides a detailed summary of the potential impacts of CAV technology on regional infrastructure investment decisions, transportation systems, land use patterns, and regulatory aspects for policymaker consideration. There is a high degree of uncertainty around the timing, scale, and direction of CAV deployment, and as such, this report highlights what community members can begin to consider as the technology advances.