Scenarios and Justification for Automated Vehicle Demonstration in Rural Minnesota

Automated vehicles (AVs) have the potential to disrupt the current transportation system and culture. While experts debate the exact timeline, the question is likely a matter of when, not if. Therefore, communities of all kinds need to prepare for this future. Small urban and rural communities, in particular, could benefit from the development of the technology, as many of their residents are unable to drive due to age and/or disability. Automated technology could provide a cost-effective and efficient solution for these communities, but so far, most of the AV testing has been conducted in densely populated urban areas. This project provides justification for why rural and small urban communities should host AV demonstrations and how these communities can create a plan to do so. The authors accomplish this task by providing information about rural and small urban communities and by reviewing the current state of AV technology, the legal environment for AVs, and best practices from past and current AV demonstrations. The authors also engage with two small urban communities in Minnesota to gather information about real community needs, desires, and limitations.

• Record URL:
  http://hdl.handle.net/11299/203693
• Summary URL:
  http://www.roadwaysafety.umn.edu/publications/researchreports/reportdetail.html?id=2830
• Supplemental Notes:
  • This document is disseminated under the sponsorship of the U.S. Department of Transportation, University Transportation Centers Program, in the interest of information exchange.
• Corporate Authors:

  University of Minnesota, Minneapolis

  State and Local Policy Program, 154 Humphrey Center, 301 19th Avenue South
  Minneapolis, MN  United States  55455

  Roadway Safety Institute

  Center for Transportation Studies
  University of Minnesota
  Minneapolis, MN  United States  55455

  Center for Transportation Studies

  University of Minnesota
  440 University Office Plaza, 2221 University Avenue SE
  Minneapolis, MN  United States  55414

  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

  University Transportation Centers Program
  Department of Transportation
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Douma, Frank
  • Petersen, Erin
• Publication Date: 2019-6

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Edition: Final Report
• Features: Appendices; Figures; Maps; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 40p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Autonomous vehicles; Best practices; Communities; Demonstration projects; Rural areas; Rural highways
• Geographic Terms: Minnesota
• Subject Areas: Highways; Society; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01716813
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: CTS 19-18, CTS #2018068
• Contract Numbers: DTRT13-G-UTC35
• Files: UTC, NTL, TRIS, ATRI, USDOT
• Created Date: Sep 17 2019 5:07PM