ATSSA Signal Nov/Dec 2018

The Signal | Nov/Dec 2018 29 As Connected Automated Vehicles (CAVs) and related technology continue to develop, industry disruption will offer a set of opportunities and challenges for ATSSA member companies. To help ATSSA members with this tran- sition, the association has worked on developing partnerships with stakehold- ers and initiated knowledge exchanges with organizations like the Automotive Safety Council (ASC), to learnmore about how the roadway safety infrastructure industry canwork to address these chang- es head on. At ATSSA’s Midyear Meeting, members from the roadway safety and automotive industries came together for an ASC Roundtable to discuss this tran- sition, which is the first in a series of on- going discussions. Juan Arvizu, ATSSA chair and chief oper- ating officer of Pavement Marking Inc., spoke with radio station KJZZ in Phoenix, Arizona, about how the industry is work- ing to navigate advances in CAV technol- ogy, in the present and future. “As an association…we saw that our mem- ber companies were going to play a part in the future of the autonomous vehicles, so our manufacturers and suppliers are working on how that autonomous vehi- cle is going to be able to read a sign, how an autonomous vehicle is going to be able to read the lines on the road, how that autonomous vehicle is going to nav- igate through a work zone. So, we’re working with the stakeholders at the national level to come up with innova- tive ideas and products that bridge these gaps as we continue down this path of automation,” said Arvizu in his June 29 radio interview. ATSSA’s efforts coincide with the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) recent work to better understand its role in supporting CAV systems. At FHWA Na- tional Dialogue on Highway Automation meetings, pavement marking quality, work zone location, and activity data have been specifically mentioned in FHWA presentations summarizing the results of recent meetings in the series. “It seems apparent that FHWA is looking to roll out new efforts to support CAV systems, starting with level twomachine vision systems, with the focus being on pavement markings and the location of work zones,” according to Rob Dingess, president of Mercer Strategic Alliance. Greg Driskell, president of Professional Pavement Products andATSSA chair-elect, owns an autopilot-capable Tesla and re- flected on his experiences with the vehi- cle, aswell as howhe sees the role of CAVs in the future of the industry. “I’m in it every day and I’ve learned about what it will do and what it won’t do. And through that experience it got quite con- cerning that people were driving this ve- hicle and not knowing its limitations,” said Driskell. Building connections CAV opportunities and challenges for ATSSA members become obsolete as signage technology develops. Computer chip technology could allow signage information to be displayed on the dashboards of CAVs. He added that manufacturers and in- stallers of roadway safety devices should be prepared for the future role of traffic control devices. Robert Seidl of Motus Ventures discussed machine vision system failure modes, which include environmental sensor Driskell echoed Dingess’ comments that in the immediate future, the industry will need to address pavement markings and the design and implementation of work zones as CAV technology continues to develop. “I think CAVs are going to enhance the need for quality pavement markings, and that’s good for our industry. I think it’s going to require us to take some special measures and probably change some of our practices in the work zone,” said Dris- kell. “People are talking about these fully automated vehicles, but we’ve got to worry about what’s on the road today, and with these ADAS (advanced driver- assistance systems) we have to have good pavement markings and we have to have properly marked work zones.” While the evolution of CAVs on the road- ways will present challenges, ATSSAmem- bers will be in an important position to innovate to advance roadway safety. “ATSSA members will need to work with our road agency customers to develop methods to meet the needs of this new class of drivers (machines). We have done it before… The roadway safety industry faces the types of disruptive forces that have extinguished other industries. The difference is that this industry is likely to experience dramatic growth and atten- tion as new technologies are layered on traditional devices. Staying current is es- sential if businesses are to adapt to this new reality,” said Dingess. issues such as degraded or unclear pave- ment markings, degraded or hidden signage, and unsteady traffic lights. Po- tential solutions to these issues could involve HD maps that would track road- way and roadside infrastructure to help guide CAVs. Seidl also addressed other sensor issues including how to keep them clean, high dynamic range issues, malicious behav- ior such as jamming or blinding, LED flicker, inconsistent eye contact or be- haviors of systems, and windscreen repairs. During AVS, U.S. DOT Transportation Sec- retary Elaine Chao also reiterated that the agency’s top priority is safety and also addressed some of the challenges of vehicle automation related to techni- cal aspects, ethics, liability, human be- havior, perception, and acceptance. Innovation & New Programs