This month we held our first stakeholder workshop on CCAT’s proposal for a national summit on connected and automated transport infrastructure. I was thrilled by the level of engagement and enthusiasm, with our members and partners workshopping the summit’s subject streams and potential outcomes. It is clear there is a need for a national discussion on how we plan our infrastructure for connected and automated transport, and I want to thank all attendees for sharing their expertise.
We also welcomed Transurban’s recent announcement of a partnership with Silicon Valley-based Plus to advance autonomous trucking in Australia. It was a pleasure to meet with Plus executives in Melbourne to brief them on CCAT’s recent initiatives and hear more about their approach to the deployment of safe automated technologies.
This month we have also started sharing the learnings of CCAT’s international outreach with our stakeholders. I will be speaking about our findings at the ITS Australia Global Summit this week and stay tuned for our webinar and report next month.
Rahila David
Executive Director, CCAT
National Summit Workshop
Over 50 stakeholders gathered at City Hall in Brisbane for a briefing and workshop on CCAT’s proposal for a national summit on connected and automated transport infrastructure. Councilor Ryan Murphy, Civic Cabinet Chair for Transport at Brisbane City Council, and Dennis Walsh, Chief Engineer at Queensland Transport and Main Roads, opened the meeting and shared how connected and automated transport featured within their transport priorities.
CCAT’s Chair Ian Webb and Executive Director Rahila David then took stakeholders through the detailed proposal. Stakeholders shared their views on the imperative for connected and automated transport, the need for the technology to solve problems, the importance of working across transport modes, and the need for public acceptance.
Webinar: Learnings from CCAT’s International Outreach
Join CCAT’s Executive Director Rahila David and delegates from CCAT’s International Outreach as they talk about the lessons learned from their recent study tour in the United Kingdom, Sweden and Germany.
The CCAT delegation met with global leaders across government and industry to learn how they are preparing for the transition to connected and automated transport. Hear how these countries have built ecosystems to create the research and testing environments, regulatory frameworks and infrastructure that will supporting the deployment of the technology.
The webinar will held on 15 September 2023 at 11am AEST
CCAT’s Board met in Melbourne this month, and amongst other things discussed the findings from the recent International Outreach and CCAT’s future work program. The Board considered how Australia compares to Europe in its preparations for connected and automated transport, and discussed ways to ensure our testing and frameworks are ready.
SECTOR NEWS
Transurban and Plus Collaborate to Advance Autonomous Trucks in Australia
Transurban have announced a partnership with Plus, a prominent Silicon Valley-based provider of autonomous driving software, to expand Transurban’s automated freight initiative.
The partnership will build on the success of Transurban’s initial self-driving truck trial conducted on CityLink and the Monash Freeway last year to investigate how Plus's Level 4 autonomous driving technology in conjunction with smart road infrastructure might help make trucking in Australia safer, more productive, and more sustainable.
Global and local expertise that enables smart highways to interact with self-driving trucks positions Victoria and in turn Australia to be an international leader in this field as nations around the world begin to investigate the advantages of self-driving trucks on public motorways.
ARC Training Centre targets automated vehicle use in regional Australia
With $5 million in funding from the Australian Research Council (ARC) and another $5.2 million from partners, QUT will serve as host and director for the new ARC Industrial Transformation Training Centre for Automated Vehicles in Rural and Remote Regions.
The Centre will develop the knowledge and capacity needed to develop autonomous vehicles for Australian public roads in rural, regional, and remote areas that are safe and socially acceptable.
The new Centre brings together 20 researchers from five Australian institutions to work in conjunction with 38 industry partners. CCAT is pleased to be a supporting partner of the Centre.
We continue to engage with experts and stakeholders interested in facilitating the transition to connected and automated transport in Australia and New Zealand. If you would like to know more about CCAT, including information on how to join, you can find further details on our website or email us at info@ccat.org.au to arrange a meeting.
