ITS Summit showcases new era of automated vehicles

Transforming transport is the theme of the 5^th Australian Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) Summit being held at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre today and tomorrow (September 27 and 28).

Minister for Main Roads and Road Safety Mark Bailey, who will provide the opening address, said the Summit would explore the rise of cooperative and automated vehicles and how they are transforming the way we live. 

“The current pace of change in vehicle technologies is unprecedented,” Mr Bailey said. 

“The way we use vehicles to meet our mobility needs will change radically over the next couple of decades. 

“Australia is a global leader in intelligent transport systems, and this summit is a great opportunity for industry leaders to shine a light on how we can transform transport with technology. 

“A truly smart city is a connected city, where data is readily shared between systems, infrastructure, people and vehicles. 

“The Palaszczuk Government is already delivering elements of smart cities, with more than $2 billion of intelligent transport system assets. 

“This includes intelligent transport systems on arterial roads and motorways and real-time traveller information apps such as QLDTraffic.” 

Mr Bailey said Queensland was already preparing for driverless and connected vehicles with ambitious planning underway for the largest on-road testing trial in Australia to ensure the State is ready for the future. 

“TMR is in the planning stages of Australia’s largest trial of cooperative intelligent transport systems technologies as part of its Connected and Automated Vehicle Initiative (CAVI),” Mr Bailey said. 

“The Palaszczuk Government will recruit about 500 Ipswich residents and retrofit their vehicles with cooperative intelligent transport systems (C-ITS) technology for on road testing in 2019. 

“A small number of automated vehicles will also be tested on public and private roads. 

“Cooperative intelligent transport system devices use traffic and road infrastructure data to provide safety warnings about a range of conditions – for example, a pedestrian crossing at a signalised intersection, a red light runner or a queue ahead. 

“These rapidly developing cooperative and automated vehicle technologies could significantly reduce crashes and congestion and also reduce vehicle emissions and fuel use.” 

The CAVI project is co-funded by the Motor Accident Insurance Commission, and will be delivered with support from Ipswich City Council and other organisations. 

Mr Bailey encouraged Queenslanders to participate in Help CAVI get Savvy survey, which will be launched tomorrow (Thursday 28 September). 

“We want to get a better understanding about what Queensland drivers know and understand about the cars of the future,” Mr Bailey said. 

Open to all Queensland licence holders, the survey is available online at: http://bit.ly/tmrcavisurvey 

ITS Australia Chief Executive Susan Harris said the industry was delighted Minister Bailey would deliver the Official Opening in Brisbane. 

“ITS Australia supports future transport and the Queensland Government and Transport and Main Roads are strong supporters of intelligent transport systems,” she said. 

“Local development and deployment of ITS and cooperative and connected initiatives such as CAVI will help make our roads safer and bring benefit to governments, industry and the community across Queensland as well as Australia.” 

The Australian Intelligent Transport Systems Summit is Australia’s largest industry-led ITS Summit and hosted by ITS Australia in partnership with Transport and Main Roads.

ENDS

Media contact, Zoe Russell, 0428 079 640