UFTI Joins Forces with FDOT to Develop Policy for Automated Vehicles

An interdisciplinary group of researchers at the University of Florida from the fields of Transportation Engineering, Urban Planning and Mechanical Engineering have been awarded a research project to provide the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) with the necessary information and guidance on drafting and implementing policies associated with the Automated Vehicles (AV) technology. The team is led by Dr. Siva Srinivasan in Civil Engineering with participation from Dr. Carl Crane of Mechanical Engineering, Dr. Yafeng Yin and Dr. Lily Elefteriadou of Civil Engineering, and Dr. Ruth Steiner from Urban and Regional Planning.

Automated Vehicle (AV) technology is an umbrella term that includes both autonomous and connected vehicle technologies. AVs use sensors and advanced software to interpret its surroundings and make intelligent decisions on routing and maneuvering with limited to no manual interventions.  Connected vehicle technology relies on information gathered by vehicles and the transportation infrastructure about real-time operations of the transportation network towards improving safety and system performance.

Automated vehicles promise to offer extraordinary improvements to both the safety and efficiency of traversing our existing roadways and mobility systems. At the same time, AVs are being developed and deployed at a faster rate than existing federal and state policies can adapt.

The UF team is also collaborating with Kimley-Horn, one of the country’s premier engineering design consulting firms, who is coordinating the AV activities for FDOT and is spreading awareness for the integration and policy making of this technology in Florida. Michael Armstrong, who is soon to be graduate student in the transportation program this fall with Dr. Lily Elefteriadou and is interning with the consulting firm, is already actively involved in the project as he manned the autonomous vehicles presentation booth at the 2014 Florida Institute of Consulting Engineers Transportation Conference in Orlando along with Tanner Martin, an FDOT in-house consultant for Kimley-Horn.

The project will develop recommendations on how FDOT should address the potential challenges and opportunities of the presence of automated vehicles using a scenario-based approach.  The study will facilitate incorporating the planning for AV infrastructure into Long Range Transportation Plans (LRTPs) and to integrate statewide transportation investments with these plans.  The UF researchers will collaborate with the FDOT Automated Vehicles Working Groups and will be supported by a blue ribbon panel of national experts in this effort.

For more information, contact:  Dr. Siva Srinivasan at siva@ce.ufl.edu or at (352) 392-9537, Ext. 1456