The future of transportation

Last week, I attended a symposium on the future of transportation held at Lawrence Tech. The meeting included leaders from the major car companies, the RTA, and it was moderated by Kirk Steudle, the Director of MDOT. It was an opportunity to sit back and dream a little about the future of transportation.

Much of that future centers on technology. The good news is that Michigan is at the very front of the class in this field. The partnership between MDOT, other operating agencies, car companies, and our major universities has resulted in very tangible products going from the drawing board to active testing, and on to near-future implementation.

Several initiatives currently operating here in Southeast Michigan are the reason that Michigan is leading the country in this revolution. Projects include the newly opened Mcity on the campus of the University of Michigan. This unique test facility evaluates the capabilities of connected and automated vehicles and systems. It simulates the broad range of complexities that vehicles encounter in urban and suburban environments. It includes approximately five lane-miles of roads with intersections, traffic signs, signals, sidewalks, and other roadside attributes.

Another initiative is a so-called “smart” corridor. MDOT, in cooperation with Ford, GM, and a U-M consortium, have deployed various vehicle-to-infrastructure-communication technologies on more than 125 miles of roadways in Southeast Michigan, including pieces of 1-94, US-23, I-96, and I-696. This research could lead to more efficient, improved traffic movement and enhanced safety throughout the corridor.

The car companies are equally optimistic about the future, but identified obstacles along the way, including the daunting Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards that must be met by 2025 and beyond. However, they also see a future where traffic could flow more smoothly and crashes could be all but eliminated from the landscape.

The partnership between the universities, the car companies, MDOT, and other transportation agencies can also have a positive impact on economic development in our region. Consider the chain that includes the research to be done attracting the brightest students to the region to work and attend school, universities attracting the best professors, the car companies hiring the best kids coming out of school, and so on and so on and so on.

The future seems bright and, in some ways, it’s already here!