For the best experience browsing on ITS Australia, we recommend using the latest version of Chrome, Firefox, Safari or Edge. The ITS website also runs on mobile web browsers.
You can download supported browsers using one of these links:
To check what browser version you are using, visit What Is My Browser.
The National Transport Commission (NTC) is about to consult on updates to the guidelines of trials of automated vehicles in Australia.
Early trials of automated vehicles in states and territories relied on exemptions from state laws such as the road rules and road safety acts, without any uniform guidance for governments and trialling organisations. The guidelines were developed to lessen the risk of differing conditions for trials across states and territories, which might add cost to industry and slow the uptake of automated vehicles and the benefits that they can provide.
This webinar will discuss the guidelines and we want to hear from you on whether the guidelines have been of assistance to governments and trialling organisations and if they can be updated to further ensure a nationally consistent and safe approach to trials.
Rahila David Principal Policy Advisor / National Transport Commission Principal Policy Advisor / National Transport Commission
Rahila David is Principal Policy Advisor in the Future Technologies Team at the National Transport Commission (NTC). She is currently leading the NTC’s review of the ‘Guidelines for trials of automated vehicles in Australia’. Rahila has also played a key role in developing a safety assurance approach for the commercial deployment automated vehicles. Her work has taken her around the country to gain input from government and industry on proposals for regulatory reform. Prior to joining the NTC, Rahila worked in a range of government policy areas including energy and local government in the United Kingdom and New Zealand.
Greg Giraud Managing Director - Australia and New Zealand / EasyMile Managing Director - Australia and New Zealand / EasyMile
Combining automated vehicles with data and connectivity-driven technologies could support greater mobility. Smart planning and applying technology in an innovative way can make delivering transport more efficient for operators and provide better services for the community. Larger scale trials are a good way to test governance arrangements, business models and consumer acceptance, in addition to the technology itself. Understandably, there is considerable uncertainty caused by COVID-19 and the impact that it will have on the transport network, however it is a priority to ensure we have the right policy and regulatory settings in place to support larger scale trials. Privacy will continue to be an important factor in the take-up of new technologies and business models.
As always, governments need to balance multiple competing agendas in the short-, medium- and long-term. Automated road transport will emerge in the longer-term, but steps are needed in the short- and medium-term to prepare. Preparatory actions include developing the right regulation and enabling infrastructure, as well as growing consumer confidence. Over the longer-term this technology has the potential to substantially improve road safety and productivity. A key question for policy makers is how can intelligent transport systems and automated vehicles complement existing transport networks? There are gaps in our existing networks where technology could work in concert with public transport to help improve outcomes, such as first and last mile connections
Emerging technology doesn’t fundamentally change government decision-making around transport. Instead new business models and types of vehicles could give governments more flexibility about how they deploy resources and provide transport services which better meet the needs of the travelling public. Already there are automated ride-hailing and ride-sharing models in development and it is likely that there will be a mix of these operating along with private ownership and public transport. In the future, different modes of transport may be cost-effective at different times and in different situations, and this will change as automated technology develops. One possible scenario is that technology could take pressure off public transport providers where regular transport services may be underutilised, allowing for a greater focus on high-capacity corridors.
This is one reason why further and differing trials are required; the technology is still developing and the full implications are not known. It is difficult to compare future forms of automated technology because various types of vehicles are likely to perform differently depending on the business model. To some extent, we need to wait and see what sort of preferences consumers and businesses will have when the technology is more advanced.
It is important to ensure that there is an integrated policy approach by governments, both to avoid duplication of work, to encourage collaboration by sharing lessons learnt, and to work towards nationally consistent outcomes. The Transport and Infrastructure Council’s Land Transport Technology Action Plan (2020-2023) works to achieve this by promoting a connected and nationally coordinated approach from all governments regarding automated vehicle issues. The Action Plan seeks to improve transport safety, efficiency, sustainability and accessibility outcomes by encouraging changes to policy and regulatory settings to prepare for automated vehicles and other emerging transport technologies.
In terms of trialling, all governments are grappling with the issues of commercial viability/meeting the needs of travellers, getting useful learnings from trials and considering opportunities for Australian firms. As mentioned during the webinar, transport Ministers have tasked the National Transport Commission to provide advice on the lessons learned from trials so far. This kind of feedback provides the evidence to consider possible future interventions to facilitate trialling outcomes. The Department is implementing the Transport and Infrastructure Council’s Land Transport Technology Action Plan (2020-2023) which aims to achieve a connected and nationally coordinated approach from all governments to automated vehicle issues, including funding and investment issues. The Department is working with its state and territory counterparts, industry, and other stakeholders to work through the various automated vehicle issues. While many people are focussed on responses to COVID-19, we are still working on transport technology issues as these have not disappeared. Also, current events are causing a re-thinking on a whole range of issues to do with how we work.
In the same vein as previous answers, trialling and the lessons learned from them are an important input to government policy regarding emerging technologies. We consider that there is still much more information and understanding that can be derived from Australian trials. Data from trials helps government develop the right regulation and enabling infrastructure, as well as growing consumer confidence in the technology. The Department is working with other governments and industry to encourage consideration of larger scale and cross-border trials in order to progress the use of automation in society. There are a number of factors that affect the speed at which we can do this from technological development, testing in trials, learning lessons from these trials and incorporating what is learnt, to there being a business case that warrants a trial or adoption, legislative and regulatory changes where necessary, and the public’s confidence in the new technology. These all have to be progressed in order for automated vehicle technologies to become a part of everyday life.
Membership of ITS Australia offers a range of benefits