Autonomous cars are no longer a thing for the far distant future, they are already being tested explored across the world. Municipalities in Ontario are starting to give serious consideration to AV technology, and Brampton is getting in on the action too — AVs could be coming to the city’s roadways, and sooner than you might think.
20th century. And since these vehicles are going to be very much part and parcel of our municipal roadways, it is critical for all Ontario municipalities to start exploring AVs with a very serious lens. It is no longer an issue of “if” AVs will arrive, but only a matter of “how soon”.
Brampton is part of the “Municipal Alliance for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles in Ontario” an organization that’s run by Ontario Good Roads Association (OGRA). The OGRA is working with towns and cities from Windsor to Ottawa to identify municipal roads that can be a part of testing for autonomous cars.
As part of the initiative City of Brampton staff are in the process of identifying roads in the city that can be a part of the project, and to join the existing two-thousand kilometers that have already been identified as preferred roads in other cities.
When the city identifies its preferred roads, the city could be a part of testing for level 4 and level 5 autonomous vehicles (AVs). Level 4 vehicles require no driver attention — drivers can safely sleep or leave the driver’s seat. At a level 5 autonomous cars require no human intervention, they wouldn’t even require a steering wheel.
The OGRA is slated to begin testing vehicles on from Windsor to Ottawa this summer. They will primarily utilize municipal roadways, with use of highways as the last resort.
Initially, the project recommended municipalities exclude roads around schools, hospitals and other high-traffic areas, but have since changed this because these areas are where many accidents happen due to human error and therefore could benefit from AV technology. But ultimately the decision will be left up to Brampton to decide which roads would be a part of the testing.
Next year Brampton is slated to review its Transportation Master Plan, at which time AV technology will be discussed on a more in-depth level.