Automated Transportation

This document was prepared as a guide to help the planning community in Iowa prepare for the integration of Cooperative Automated Transportation (CAT) in Iowa. It is intended to give those in the planning community – including planners in the public sector, private consultants, planning commissioners, and other citizen planners – a resource to take a proactive approach to addressing the potential impacts CAT may have on our communities. This document was developed and supported by the Planning Working Group of the Iowa Advisory Council on Automated Transportation (ATC) Policy and Legislation & Subcommittee. The ATC seeks to increase roadway safety, personal mobility, and freight movement within the state of Iowa by advancing highly automated vehicle technologies. The ATC provides guidance, recommendations, and strategic oversight of automated transportation activities in the state.

As part of the transportation system management and operations process, which aims to strategically improve the transportation system to ensure safe, efficient, and convenient travel for the traveling public, the Iowa DOT has developed a plan for Cooperative Automated Transportation. The plan supports the Iowa DOT business case for automated transportation, and unlike the Iowa AT Vision, it doesn’t include or consider broader topics like economic development or insurance. The plan is just one of several plans that are intertwined to improve both safety and mobility on Iowa’s roads. The plan identifies a variety of challenges and opportunities and includes:

• Existing condition assessments for the plan topic,
• Identifies where gaps exist,
• Provides recommendations to move forward,
• Includes a variety of activities to support agency readiness.