Australia and Michigan to develop safer roads and vehicle technology

The Australian government and the US state of Michigan have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to develop vehicle and road systems to help improve road safety. Michael McCormack, deputy prime minister and minister for infrastructure, transport and regional development, says the agreement is part of a strategy to position Australia for safer roads through automated and connected vehicles. “This is just one way the government is promoting safer vehicles on safer roads, including for our region
October 10, 2018 Read time: 2 mins
The Australian government and the US state of Michigan have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to develop vehicle and road systems to help improve road safety.


Michael McCormack, deputy prime minister and minister for infrastructure, transport and regional development, says the agreement is part of a strategy to position Australia for safer roads through automated and connected vehicles.

“This is just one way the government is promoting safer vehicles on safer roads, including for our regions where road crashes remain unacceptably high,” McCormack adds.

Rick Snyder, governor of Michigan, says the partnership will share research and knowledge in the development and deployment of intelligent vehicle transportation.

“Ensuring the safety of connected and autonomous vehicles is paramount, and that will require a truly global approach to testing and validating the technology, as well as addressing the regulatory and policy environment those efforts operate in,” Snyder adds.

The MoU supports links between the University of Melbourne’s AIMES (Australian Integrated Multimodal EcoSystem), an integrated technology programme with a live test bed on Melbourne’s streets and Michigan’s Mcity and 8742 American Center for Mobility offroad facilities.

Michigan state is a strong advocate of ITS through its technology innovation facilitator, PlanetM, which awarded its first mobility grant to transport software firm %$Linker: 2 Internal <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 4 35590 0 link-external Derq false /event-news/its-america/2018/news/derq-predicts-violations-and-saves-lives/ false false%> earlier this year. Derq’s V2X software applications are used at an intersection in Detroit, Michigan to predict and prevent accidents.

Areas for possible cooperation identified within the MoU include:

• Sharing scientific, technological, regulatory and policy data, co-hosting meetings, workshops and conferences between Michigan and Australia as well as other countries.
• sharing best practices in skilled trades and workforce development programmes.
• Developing new programmes to address emerging technology needs.
• The creation of a joint task force to provide advice on strengthening Michigan and Australian technology clusters and connecting key coordinating bodies.

Andrew Broad, assistant minister to Australia’s deputy prime minister, says Australian research institutions and industries can establish better links with international counterparts under the MoU.

Urban Traffic Control

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Elon Musk unveils Los Angeles tunnel plan
    December 19, 2018
    Elon Musk, the boss of Tesla and SpaceX, has opened the first tunnel in a planned network under Los Angeles to help ease congestion in the US city. The world’s media was invited this week to travel in the mile-long tunnel – built by Musk’s Boring Company under the Hawthorne district - in an electric Tesla vehicle. The trip was described as “almost a white knuckle ride” by the BBC: “A bumpy two-minute journey in a modified Model X through a concrete tunnel with a blue neon light in the ceiling.” A C
    Read More
  • Register now for Australian ITS Summit and NeTC
    May 5, 2015
    For the first time, the Australian ITS Summit and the National electronic Tolling Conference (NeTC), which takes place on 12-14 May in Melbourne, will combine as the most important gathering in Australia for ITS professionals in 2015. Delegates attending the combined Summit/NeTC Tolling Conference will have flexibility in attendance and choice of sessions. Attendees can register for: just the NeTC Tolling Conference, just the ITS Summit, or both.
    Read More
  • UK government reveals £400m EV charging network boost
    September 13, 2018
    The UK government is providing £400m to create an electric vehicle (EV) charging point infrastructure, in partnership with the automotive industry. UK prime minister Theresa May says the government will ensure charge points can be easily accessed and available at motorway service stations and other petrol stations. There will also be £1.5bn for the development of ultra-low emission vehicles (ULEVS). Speaking at the country’s first Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Summit in Birmingham, May unveiled an ‘am
    Read More
  • Canadian gov invests in PEI’s EV charging infrastructure
    March 18, 2019
    The Canadian government has committed CAN$300,000 to develop six electric vehicle (EV) chargers across Prince Edward Island (PEI) province. The funding is part of the government’s CAN$182.5 million investment to develop a fast-charging network for EVs and establish natural gas stations along roads and hydrogen stations in metropolitan areas. It recently made a similar investment in Vancouver. The chargers, built by the Government of PEI, were funded through Natural Resource Canada’s Electric Vehicle and A
    Read More

Highlighted Content