Dr. Johanna Zmud, Director, Washington D.C. Office at Texas A&M Transportation Institute; Dr. Alain Kornhauser, Professor of Operations Research & Financial Engineering Director, Transportation Program, Princeton University; and Dr. Gummada Murthy, ‎Associate Program Director, Operations, AASHTO, Transportation Program; presented during the Autonomous Vehicle Continuum Impacts session on August 3rd.

Zmud explored various elements of this topic, beginning with the various types of terminology tied into automated vehicle technology (cars, public transport, urban and interurban freight, etc.) and connected vehicle technology (V2V and V2I). Zmud then presented on Scenario-Based Roadmapping which included scenarios of paths of AV/CV deployment, implications and impacts as well as a strategic roadmap.

One of the main points of Dr. Zmud’s presentation "AV Continuum Impacts: State and Local Issues" was a look at state and local perspectives on automated vehicles vs. connected vehicles. The presentation explored the Evolutionary Scenario which follows a slower and more calculated path toward the goal of significant numbers of self-driving vehicles during 2016-2025 vs. the Revolutionary Scenario which illustrated a more direct path toward this same goal within the same time period. Ultimately, the general population who were surveyed favored the Revolutionary Scenario while state DOTs favored the Evolutionary Scenario. Zmud also presented on the Potential Changes for Organization and the Policy or Planning Actions to Prepare for automated and connected vehicles.

Alain Kornhauser's presentation "Automated Cars: From Today to the Ultimate Riding Machine" focused on how we can and will create Smart Driving Technology. From this technology Kornhauser stated that high-quality jobs are created, mobility is enhanced, lives are saved, injuries avoided, disruption averted, the environment is improved and it's all for free. Kornhauser said there are four levels of the driverless car and on the fourth level chauffered mobility will be bought "by the drink" rather than "by the bottle." He said it is also a profitable business opportunity for utilities and transit companies. Ultimately, Kornhauser told the ITE Annual Meeting audience to realize that there will always be human drives, to take maximum advantage of the exisiting infrastructure, focus all of the intelligence in the vehicle and ask "nothing" of the infrastructure over what is in the best intrest of the human driver.

Gummada Murthy gave an AASHTO Operations Programs Overview, explaining that AASHTO provides a variety of services to State DOT members including frameworks for peer exchanges, sharing of best practices, policy, guidance, coordination with TRB, ITE, ITSA, etc., support mainstreaming of USDOT programs, etc. Murthy said AASHTO's 2015-2018 Operations Program Emphasis is to continue to advance NOCoE, lead efforts at the national level to establish frameworks to promote TSM&O work, force culture to meet the emerging TSMO skills and requirements (ICM, ATM, CV, and AV); identify and undertake gap-filling and innovative R&D methods to establish Operations Green Book (in collaboration with ITE, ITSA, TRB and USDOT.) Murthy says AASHTO will use all of these initiatives and other ongoing efforts to advance CV and AV programs.