Tampa Summit To Feature Driverless Cars As Transit Option

Automated Vehicles or driverless cars are on their way to Tampa Bay as part of a future trend that will be discussed at the first Florida Automated Vehicles Summit November 14th-15th at the Marriott Tampa Waterside Hotel.
 
Hosted by the Florida Engineering Society, the summit is sponsored by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), Tampa-Hillsborough Expressway Authority (THEA) and Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR). FDOT Secretary Ananth Prasad and Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn are some of the dignitaries expected to attend.

"The purpose of this summit is to monitor the use of AV technology, and to identify the relevant policies that should be in place for AV technology to become mainstream,'' says Jason Bittner, Director of CUTR and a leading proponent of using AV technology to make Florida cities better.
 
The summit is expected to draw students, research scholars, elected officials, automobile and equipment manufacturers, transportation planners and engineers, trade and industry organizations, public agencies and consulting firms. You can RSVP here.

"The summit is going to address key institutional challenges in fully implementing the technology,'' says Bittner.

Apart from fulfilling basic human transportation needs, autonomous vehicles (AV) provide automated navigational capabilities by using advanced control systems that interpret surrounding sensory information. In the last decade, numerous breakthroughs in information technology and significant advancements in the auto sector have resulted in Google taking a lead in developing the AV technology.
 
In April 2012, Florida became only the second state to allow the testing of AVs on state and public roads. The first and third states were Nevada and California respectively.

The summit will be a key event to discuss the nuances of AV technology with public officials, consulting professionals and industry organizations. In addition, the event will provide Florida university students and reserachers an opportunity to showcase their work related to AV technology.

"At the end of the summit, the attendees will have a framework to set up AVs in the Tampa Bay Area and a plan to follow-up with additional meetings in spring 2014,'' says Bittner. "The summit is essentially setting up Florida to become a leader in this technology and its use in our Cities.''

Writer: Vinod Kadu
Source: Jason Bittner, Director of Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR)