23rd World Congress on Intelligent Transport Systems - ITS Australia welcomes NTC regulatory options as automated vehicles come closer

ITS Australia welcomes NTC regulatory options as automated vehicles come closer

17 May 2016

Reviewing the findings of the National Transport Commission (NTC) Discussion Paper ‘Regulatory Options for Automated Vehicles’ released last week, ITS Australia welcomes the opportunity to address regulatory barriers to increased vehicle automation in Australia.

With the development of automated vehicles increasing rapidly, the NTC's Discussion Paper also highlights the great advancements that will be made in industry, business and the overall economy if we can remove current regulatory barriers and adopt a nationally consistent approach to support broader trials and appropriate take up.

ITS Australia is the country’s largest single gathering of private companies, government authorities and academic institutions dedicated to the research, development and deployment of ITS technologies in Australia.

According to ITS Australia, CEO, Susan Harris; "While still at an early stage of implementation, automated vehicles are already having a significant impact on markets, public policy and the community and soon, we won't know an industry without them.”

As seen with Codha Wireless' V2X wireless sensor system, there is already technology in Australia which enables vehicles to share their sensor data with other vehicles around them - bringing innovation, greater safety and efficiency to transport networks, and creating opportunities for vehicle manufacturers and technologists to introduce higher levels of automation.

Edging towards the commercial deployment of vehicles that, in certain scenarios, can drive themselves without human intervention or monitoring, Regulatory Options for Automated Vehicles highlights the multitude of challenges faced by the Intelligent Transport Solutions (ITS) industry. This includes the relevance of current regulations for increased vehicle automation, identifying legal barriers for these vehicles, and the role ITS bodies play nationally to create a consistent regulatory framework.

ITS Australia supports the NTC’s work in this area and is encouraging its members to discuss and provide feedback on the paper’s viewpoints.

ITS Australia supports harmonisation of Australian regulations to ensure vehicles people and freight can travel freely between states. Disjointed state laws will lead to confusion, more risks on the road and barriers to movement,” Ms Harris said.

“In particular, ITS Australia supports the call for more government support of on-road trials. This is an opportunity for Australia to provide a sensible regulatory environment that attracts global automated vehicle trials, supporting Australian technology and resulting in shared learning for the Australia’s ITS industry and broader community,” Ms Harris said.

The release of the NTC discussion paper and submissions coincides with the 23rd ITS World Congress, to be held in Melbourne, marking its return to Australia for the first time after 15 years.

From October 10-14 this year, 7,000 ITS leaders will join developers, policy makers and academics from around the world to discuss this very issue.

The insight shared at the World Congress regarding standards, road rules, enforcement, registration and licensing will assist the Council in November, when shaping Australia’s transport systems.