Our roads are some of the most sophisticated in the world, fitted out with millions of pieces of technology to ensure the road runs smoothly and safely (go here for more on road safety). CAVs will benefit from roads that can ‘talk’ to them, providing vital information about what’s happening around them and ahead, beyond the range of their own sensors.

We’ve trialled various types of CAVs on our motorways, both to investigate this technology and to identify issues and opportunities specific to our road infrastructure. This includes trials of an automated truck, partially automated vehicles already on the road today, highly automated vehicles, connected vehicle communications (platooning), remote operation of automated vehicles and automation of vehicles for specific road operations/maintenance tasks.

Our most recent trial involved an automated truck travelling on CityLink (Melbourne), using its automated driving technology to navigate along the motorway. This Australian-first trial tested both the automated truck’s operations on a managed motorway, and also tested how our road technology data (for example, speed limit information) could enhance the truck’s on-road performance.

Trial data is helping us understand how CAVs can safely handle dynamic scenarios on motorways such as incidents and roadworks.

We’ve also been talking to people about CAVs and getting a sense of community attitudes towards the arrival and use of CAVs. Take a look at what we’ve been learning below.