Special Report

Special Report (Vol. 54)

  • 2020-11-05
  • GDPC

Special Report Vol. 54 (2020)

Improving the Readiness of Roads for the Era of Automated Vehicles : Focusing on Road Design and Planning

Chapter I. Introduction


Chapter II. Automated Vehicle Concepts and Technologies

1. Automated Vehicle Concepts
2. Technology Options for Driving Automation
3. Key Components of Road Digital Infrastructure


Chapter III. Scenariosfor Introducing Automated Vehicles

1. Prospect of Introducing Automated Vehicles
2. Scenarios on the Commercialization of Automated Vehicles


Chapter IV. Projects Required to Get Roads Ready for Automated Vehicles

1. Road Improvements Required to Accommodate Automated Vehicles
2. Near-term Projects to Enhance Road Design and Planning


Chapter V. Conclusions





Summary

This article was motivated to help the road sectors prepare for the commercialization of automated vehicles. In this regard, relevant concepts and technologies were reviewed, and then plausible scenarios on the operation of automated vehicles were investigated in detail. Furthermore, near-term projects related to road design and planning were derived in consideration of the road improvements required to accommodate automated vehicles under highly plausible scenarios.


Notably, this article contributes to establishing a scenario-based approach by employing three key factors that are likely to influence the ways automated vehicles will be introduced. The first factor is associated with the evolution of the mobility markets related to automated vehicles. The second factor concerns the technology options for utomated cognition and judgement. The third factor is related to the purpose of the communication systems between an automated vehicle and its surrounding road infrastructure. These three factors were comprehensively examined to construct the scenarios for two use cases. One of these is concerns the situation where automated vehicles are sold to individual consumers for personal mobility. The other case pertains to the application of automated vehicles to shared-use mobility services.


The results presented in this article, however, include the following limitations. First of all, the examined scenarios related to the commercialization of automated vehicles are not comprehensive largely due to simplifications regarding the affecting factors and their available options. In addition, the projects derived in this article are not specified in sufficient detail.


Apart from these limitations, this article is meaningful as an initial attempt to help road sectors respond properly to the era of automated vehicles. Hopefully, there will be follow-up studies to further develop the results of this article. To this end, more thorough reviews of the technology options and additional market research would be worthwhile. In particular, pilot studies to revise the manuals or standards on road design and planning need to be launched as soon as possible.




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