Skip to main content

Australia to trial autonomous vehicles on public roads

Australia’s Victorian government is to begin a trial to look at how automated vehicles can interact with Australian road infrastructure. VicRoads will work with industry to seek feedback on the government’s Future Directions Paper, which outlines the need for regulatory changes to allow testing of highly automated vehicles on public roads. The consultation will focus on how to ensure road safety during testing on public roads, what constitutes a driver ‘being in control’ and understanding how the changi
December 19, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
Australia’s Victorian government is to begin a trial to look at how automated vehicles can interact with Australian road infrastructure. 4728 VicRoads will work with industry to seek feedback on the government’s Future Directions Paper, which outlines the need for regulatory changes to allow testing of highly automated vehicles on public roads.

The consultation will focus on how to ensure road safety during testing on public roads, what constitutes a driver ‘being in control’ and understanding how the changing technology will interact with our transport system.

It will also work to create a framework to allow for a wide range of vehicles to be trialled on Victoria’s roads, potentially including highly automated vehicles, where a driver is not in control of the vehicle.

From early next year, a range of automated vehicles will be trialled on the Monash-Citylink-Tullarmine corridor, in a partnership between the government and 600 Transurban.  The trial will test vehicles currently on the market, to understand how autonomous vehicle technology interacts with road infrastructure including overhead lane signals, electronic speed signs and line marking.

The trial will begin with testing automated vehicles that comply with existing road rules and road safety regulations. A human driver will monitor the vehicle’s operation, ready to take back control at any time.

It will also build on the knowledge gathered through the testing of the 311 Bosch Highly Automated Driving Vehicle unveiled during the 6456 ITS World Congress in October.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Conduent brings account-based ticketing to Victoria
    May 19, 2023
    Myki public transit payment system will be upgraded to account-based model
  • ITS sector must use less confusing industry terms says Q-Free
    December 23, 2015
    For ITS to gain the recognition it deserves, Q-Free’s Knut Evensen argues that the sector must have a coherent message and avoid confusing the wider community with a bewildering array of terms and acronyms. Any industry or group of people will develop its own lexicon over time. The process is near-inevitable, as individuals’ knowledge bases increase and evolve, and terms for common wisdom are created and become truncated, or even slang. A danger, though, as a relatively small group looks to admit large numb
  • Cost Benefit: Utah traffic light scheme pays dividends
    March 15, 2019
    A traffic signal control scheme in Utah is being taken up by other US authorities. David Crawford finds out how the Beehive State is leading the way in DoT and driver savings Growing numbers of US state departments of transportation (DoTs) and their road users are gaining real financial benefits from an advanced approach to traffic signal monitoring recently developed in Utah. Central to the system is its use of automated traffic signal performance measures (ATSPM) technology, brought in to improve th
  • Vehicle to improve safety and reduce disruption on motorways
    May 26, 2016
    Inspired by the aviation industry, a new vehicle developed by Highways England to help replace overhead signs is set to reduce the duration of roadworks. The vehicle is based on the design of an aircraft catering vehicle, which loads refreshments into aeroplanes using a hydraulic scissor lift. Traditionally, signs are taken down and installed using a flat-bed truck, crane and cherry picker, taking up to 40 minutes. However the new Maintenance Assistance Vehicle (MAV) can do this in around 20 to 25 min