Page 2841 - Week 10 - Thursday, 7 October 2021
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This has significant potential, in addition to AEB technology, for preventing vehicles from getting too close to each other on all road environments. In the submission we drew the committee’s attention to advances in adaptive cruise control technology, which detects the speed limit of the road on which the vehicle is travelling and automatically reduces the speed of the vehicle appropriately. These types of technologies are already in use in vehicles on our roads. We have suggested that, as the spectrum of vehicle autonomy progresses, new design requirements could be made, in line with other jurisdictions, to improve road safety.
Autonomous vehicles also have the potential to produce better environmental outcomes than conventional cars. For example, this could be achieved through more efficient braking and acceleration as well as improved capability and efficiency in navigating the city and road environment. A fully integrated autonomous network where vehicles are talking to each other also has the potential to improve traffic flow and energy efficiency, reducing emissions.
Highly automated vehicles are often zero-emission electric vehicles. The combination of electric and autonomous technologies has the potential to reduce vehicle emissions both directly and through facilitating a mode shift to more sustainable transport options, including public transport. The territory is leading the nation in supporting electric and zero-emissions vehicles through our transition to the Zero Emissions Vehicles Action Plan. This approach will also support early preparation for the introduction of automated vehicles in the future.
As automated vehicles become more sophisticated and driverless vehicles become a reality, there is real potential to increase the independence of Canberrans who are living with disadvantage. Whether it is older Canberrans, people with a disability or even younger Canberrans, driverless vehicles provide greater mobility and choice and reduce a key barrier to fuller participation in the life of Canberra. Driverless vehicles also have the potential to allow all of us to better use the time we spend on the road.
Automated vehicles will also have the capability to extend the reach and flexibility of our transport network. The ACT Transport Strategy 2020 identifies that Canberra’s future network will be built around orbital, central and local links, with rapid and feeder buses operating on central and local links.
Autonomous transport will create the opportunity to augment these feeder services in low density residential areas to expand the reach, flexibility and efficiency of Canberra’s transport network. Importantly, though, we do not anticipate that autonomous vehicles will displace the role of mass transit systems like light rail. Cars are still cars, and they will still cause congestion, autonomous or not. If not implemented properly, autonomous vehicles and taxis could add congestion pressures because of dead running—dead trips where commuters call empty cars to them from across the city.
It is also likely that a mix of transport solutions—autonomous electric vehicles, active travel and mass transit systems like light rail—will all have a role to play in moving people around Canberra in the future. Mass transit in particular will continue to play an important role in moving large numbers of people down major transport corridors quickly and efficiently. This system could be connected with autonomous vehicles, as
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