PIARC has been concerned, for some time, about the challenges and opportunities presented by Connected and Autonomous Vehicles for Road Network Operators. These were explored by two Task Forces (B.1 and B.2) between 2018 and 2020 but have also now been overtaken by the rapid and disruptive development of a wider range of new mobility technologies, digital and service concepts.
The new forms of mobility refer both to the new vehicle types and technologies that are starting to circulate on streets and highways, as well as to new ways in which citizens are using those vehicles, including customer proposition, asset ownership, demand management and shared services. A broader review of new mobility concepts and their impacts on road and transport infrastructure is therefore required, leading to the new Task Force 2.1 which formed and commenced work in July 2022. This Report, dated July 2023, is the first output of the Task Force and the result of two main activities.
The first activity, an external questionnaire survey completed from October 2022 to January 2023 by PIARC members and relevant mobility actors, sought views on the importance and impacts of defined mobility concepts.
The second activity was focused on a literature review arising from an internal survey of Task Force members. This collected bibliographical references, case studies and use cases related to new mobility concepts, classified into six categories: Automated and Connected Mobility, Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems (C-ITS), Digital Highways and Next Generation ITS, Mobility as a Service (MaaS), Platooning and Electric Mobility, as well as considering cross-cutting Horizontal (Financial, Social and LMICs) Issues. The use cases, and case studies come from several European entities, Australia, Austria, France, Hungary, Japan, People´s Republic of China, Spain, Sweden and the United States, whilst the focus on LMICs considers a number of other countries at a different stage of development.
In the very long-term, new mobility initiatives will have a significant impact on the planning, design, construction, and operation of road infrastructure. By considering these implications, supporting practical Operational Design Domains, and adapting to the changing transportation landscape, RNOs can make more limited changes to support early deployment and contribute to the development of more efficient, sustainable, and resilient transportation systems.
New mobility will also have a range of wider financial, commercial, business model, social and development impacts which must be carefully considered so that innovation can be encouraged whilst promoting public value, inclusivity and sustainable outcomes. This is true in countries at all stages of development, although the use cases, business cases and capacity of road operators to support new delivery models will be very different in LMICs compared to High Income exemplars.