On Tuesday, October 17, 2023, the Urban Robotics Foundation hosted a webinar as part of it's series on Municipal Readiness for Public-area Mobile Robots (PMRs). This session featured Greg Rodriguez, Mobility Policy Principal at Stantec. Stantec's Smart(ER) Mobility team supports the integration of innovative mobility solutions into communities with a focus on (E)quity and (R)esilience.
Greg's presentation focused on how to approach policy, planning, and infrastructure design considerations to support safe and effective integration of emerging mobility technologies into communities. He also talked about safety and liability considerations around growing demands on the right-of-way.
Watch/View the webinar
A video recording of the webinar (54 minutes running time) is provided on our YouTube channel. Here is the direct link: https://youtu.be/buML2ZGE7ro
You can also download the PDF slide deck by clicking this link
Q&A:
Some of the questions in the Q&A segment of the webinar include:
a) Given your familiarity with policy and regulation, what can the average person do to support a holistic approach? Most leaders and decision makers appear to prioritize short term economic considerations rather than taking the long view in terms of sustainability, accessibility, etc. (Jump to ~37:30 in video)
b) I love the notion of flexible streets, but how do we communicate the uses? Signage and striping makes it hard to communicate anything complex or changing (40:55)
c) Can you say a bit more on your point that AV shuttles start in specific corridors or non-public roadways? (45:12)
d) Real problems to address to enable micromobility are the need for robots that could help with asset condition assessment of cycle tracks; and automated enforcement to fine and prevent illegal car/truck parking in cycle track, etc. Thoughts? (50:45)
Links to additional resources:
Greg included these links at the end of his presentation. They are provided here for ease of access:
New England Transportation Consortium: 20-4 Coordinating State Policies, Laws and Regulations for Automated Driving Systems Across New England (newenglandtransportationconsortium.org)
Transportation Research Board: Crosswalk Analysis of Research Topics in Automated Vehicles and Shared Mobility (PDF) (trb.org)
The Future of Mobility: Remaking Buffalo for the 21st Century (stantec.com)
About the guest speaker:
Greg Rodriguez is a nationally recognized subject matter expert for policy, regulatory, and legal issues related to transportation and innovation. He uses his unique expertise to assist clients with the development of policies and operational frameworks focused on the safe and effective deployment of transportation technologies into communities across the country, including demand-responsive mobility, automated and connected vehicles, dockless micromobility, unmanned drones (both aerial and ground), and zero-emission vehicles. His services to clients include the completion of comprehensive policy and regulatory analysis to identify barriers to the deployment of technology-focused solutions and recommended frameworks focused on the incorporation of flexible and data driven governance structures.
With his legal, policy, and legislative experience, Greg provides insights and recommendations on proposed legislation, regulations, and ordinances and assists clients in navigating and building consensus around complicated and untested governance issues. His approach focuses on collaboration, education, and facilitation to align interests and support the development of implementable strategies to support the evolution of the transportation system beyond the status quo.
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