Pub. 2 2019-2020 Issue 2

38 What’s the main benefit of autonomous vehicles? A lot of people die nationally on U.S. roads because of traffic accidents.We believe the technology being used by the driverless shuttles will significantly decrease these fatalities, but we also understand the tech- nology won’t work perfectly out of the box. Why is UDOT involved? The private sector is taking the lead on autonomous vehicles. Although UTA may someday own and operate a shuttle like ours, UDOT won’t. However, UDOT needs to understand them, prepare for them, and learn how to leverage them to best advantage. Our focus is to use new technologies, like the autonomous vehicles, to improve safety. We are trying to improve transpor- tation by being prudent, forward-think- ing, and innovative. How do smart roads fit into the plans for autonomous cars? Smart roads and smart cities are terms that are used broadly, but we are already building infrastructure in our cities that support smart roads. In fact, this is some- thing we’ve been working on for 20 years. Recent innovations have just allowed us to do a better job of gathering data through electronic equipment that is maintained and operated by UDOT employees. We currently have direct wireless communi- cation in place between cars and city infra- structure at 131 intersections in Salt Lake County and Utah County. That communi- cation is set up to keep buses and snow plows moving through those intersec- tions as efficiently as possible. During the coming year, we plan to nearly double the number of intersections, andwe have even more expansion plans after that. There are 2800 miles of fiber optic cables around the states to support an intelligent transportation system that includes traffic signals, cameras, and overhead message signs. The fiber optic cables are attached to radar on poles. The equipment is designed to respond to the cars that are there. For example, if there’s a left-turn lane for a freeway and no cars are in it, there won’t be a signal allowing left turns. During the night, some lights just stay green on main roads.We also use radar tomeasure speeds on the freeway. This isn’t for enforcement. We just want to knowhow traffic is flowing and howmany cars there are.We are always studying congestion and trying to prevent it or solve it. That’s why overheadmessage signs will often suggest routes for drivers. We are trying to help people get where they are going in less time. We canmonitor our equipment in real time and if something happens, such as an inci- dent, a crash or an emergency, we can dial in and change settings on the fly. We can look at the history for a signal and know what it is doing so that engineers can fix it by adjusting it or having it replaced. What about applications to public transport? The goal is to do what Singapore has done, and provide ubiquitous transport. We aren’t there yet, but we are moving there. Singapore is a city state, so its prob- lems are different than ours. UTA recently added a first-mile and last-mile option to itsbus andTRAXservice.The south- west corner of the valley didn’t have enough ridership and was fiscally constrained. From a practical standpoint, UTA couldn’t expand, so they looked at a van service instead and decided it made sense. The vans are smaller, more nimble, and therefore more effective. UTA is experimenting with the service and will probably expand it. The big question is about the cost. UTA offers Paratransit vehi- cles for people with disabilities, but it costs a lot of money to do per ride. Can you talk about vehicle-to- vehicle communication? If youhavetwo-way communication, it’s pos- sible for vehicles to talk toeachother directly (V to V) and to talk to the infrastructure (V to I). That’s going to happen, but it will be doneby theautomakers, not byUDOT.Major automakers such as Cadillac, Toyota and Ford are all interested in two-way commu- nication, but they are holding off because they are waiting on the FCC. The FCC is responsible for a huge range of the spectrum, including for TV, phones and radio. Itmanages andmonitors where parts By Blaine D. Leonard, P.E., F.ASCE AUTONOMOUS CARS ON UTAH ROADS