The City of Vancouver conducted a two-year, internal capacity building initiative, to proactively prepare the organization for a Connected and Automated Vehicles (CAV) future. The project received funding from Transport Canada’s Program to Advance Connectivity and Automation in the Transportation System (ACATS).
In the first three phases of the project, the City developed a common understanding & awareness of CAV technologies amongst the staff, provided opportunities to discuss how the technology could impact City services, and worked together to identify potential opportunities & issues. In this final phase of the project, the team developed a CAV technology pilot testing plan, intended to ultimately support future CAV technology implementation.
Three technology use cases were selected from seven potential opportunities, based on a set of evaluation criteria that were developed through significant staff engagement, and tailored to the City’s needs and vision:
- Autonomous Ice Resurfacers
- Autonomous Lawn Mowers
- Automated Street Sweepers
Business cases were also developed for the three technology use cases, to help prioritize which technology to pursue. The business cases are centered on five factors: Technology Maturity; Service Delivery; Innovation / Value-Added Benefits; Staff Benefits; and Sustainability Benefits.