Pioneering automated road transport

Interest in automated transport schemes is growing in Europe because they can make mobility more efficient, safer and sustainable. Transferring this success to cities, however, is difficult mainly due to the systems' dedicated infrastructure and fragmented European legal framework.

Thanks to the EU-funded 'Cities demonstrating cybernetic mobility' (CITYMOBIL2) project, a prototype automated transport system is being tested in urban environments. The four-year initiative is building on CITYMOBIL, which emphasised new and emerging transport models.

During the first reporting period, 12 partner cities carried out a study to determine the possibility of implementing an automated transport system in their region and identified locations where such a system would be most optimal. The project members defined common minimal technical requirements to make the systems interoperable.

In 2014, the first of three large-scale demonstrations was implemented in the French coastal town of La Rochelle, to be followed in 2015 by urban areas in Greece and Switzerland. Six vehicles will operate at each site for at least six months. Several small-scale demonstrations will also be carried out with less than six vehicles.

The team is conducting research on the technical, financial, cultural and behavioural features and consequences for land-use policies and how new systems can be integrated in current infrastructures in various cities.

Project partners are also working on a legal framework that will certify transport systems based on automated road vehicles.

CITYMOBIL2 will ultimately help city dwellers to embrace transport innovation as a viable transport option. Regional and local authorities should also recognise the potential of vehicle automation as part of their public transport networks.