Organizers
Elizabeth Machek, Community Planner, Volpe Center, US DOT
Daniel Blais, Senior Analyst, Transport Canada
Barry Pekilis, ITS Thrust Leader, National Research Council Canada
Scott Smith, Operations Research Analyst, Volpe Center, US DOT
Session Description
Rural areas are poorly served by transit, and distances are often too far for convenient walking or bicycling. Loss of access to an automobile can be economically and socially devastating for rural residents. This session will convene discussion around the potential benefits of, and anticipated challenges to, automation in rural areas. The discussion will be intentionally broad, incorporating both personally-owned and shared mobility applications, as well as transportation for older travelers, travelers with disabilities, and the general population.
Goals/Objectives/Outputs
Most research on automation and shared mobility has focused on urban areas. The goal of this session is to develop a research agenda for rural automation, to surface the opportunities, obstacles, and how the obstacles might be overcome. A few of the research questions that we anticipate include:
- What are the challenges in providing shared fleet services in rural areas? (Is there a viable market? How can they integrate with rural transit?)
- What is a minimum set of infrastructure, technology and data needs to enable automated driving systems in rural communities?
- What types of advanced driver assistance systems might have an effect on driver licensing requirements?
- What are the accessibility issues (door-to-door)?
Agenda
1:30 PM – 2:15 PM Panel Discussion
Description - Brief presentations with time for Q&A
Moderator: Eli Machek
- Jean Ruestman, Administrator, Office of Passenger Transportation, Michigan Department of Transportation
- Sheryl Gross-Glaser, Senior Program Associate, Community Transportation Association of America (CTAA)
- Frank Douma, Director, State and Local Policy Program, Humphrey School of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota
- Ranjit Godavarthy, Assistant Professor, North Dakota State University
- Carol Schweiger, President, Schweiger Consulting
2:15 PM – 3:00 PM Small Group Discussion
All participants will be invited to join facilitated small group discussion. This will be followed by 15 minutes of report-out and closing remarks.