It can be assumed that automated driving will in future be performed largely on the existing infrastructure together with non-automated vehicles. Regarding this assumption the question arises whether the increase of automated driving creates special requirements for the infrastructure or how the infrastructure should be developed if necessary. The overall objective of this research project was therefore to answer the question of which infrastructure measures (road-building, traffic and information technology) are required for the various levels of automated driving. The project focused on driving on motorways and on rural roads. In addition to the standard scenario for driving on motorways (motorway driver) and on rural roads (commuter driver) also selected scenarios with bigger challenges to the driving task were considered, which then possibly also make increased demands to the infrastructure. Based on the foundations and standards for the construction and operation of road infrastructure, the project worked out the challenges arising from automated driving, developed scenarios with special challenges, derived infrastructural measures to support automated driving, and then assessed these measures regarding necessity, effectiveness, technical, organizational and temporal feasibility and the resulting expense. Based on the results of the evaluation, recommendations were developed, which should help to make the road infrastructure future-proof regarding automated driving. It turned out that the road infrastructure has quite a potential to support automated driving at selected points or in specific situations. A key measure that can support automated driving in most scenarios is the use of high-accuracy, layered digital reference maps. Those can be used to represent long-term situations as well as medium and short-term changes in the traffic situation. With today‘s state-of-the-art technology as well as the existing road infrastructure, highly automated driving on motorways seems fundamentally conceivable without any changes or major adjustments to the infrastructure. For the further development and the success of the automation of traffic, it has to be said that especially at an organizational level the interaction of the automobile industry and road operators as well as service providers is essential. (Author/publisher)
Samenvatting