Automated vehicles will be mainstream in the next decade, members of an Innovation Panel predicted today during the first general session of ATSSA’s 51^st Annual Convention & Traffic Expo.

Timothy Drake, vice president of public policy and regulatory affairs at ITS America, said he expected trucking fleets and public transportation would be the first to take that step and be in place in the 2030s. With that in mind, he said planning needs to take place now within jurisdictions across the country and state departments of transportation (DOTs).

Nazila Roofigari-Esfahan, an assistant professor at Virginia Tech, agreed with Drake but said she hoped it wouldn’t take place before people are ready for it. She said both infrastructure and individuals need to be prepared for that shift in transportation.

The Innovation Panel was one part of today’s general session at ATSSA’s 2021 Convention & Traffic Expo. The session kicked off with a welcome from Board Chair Greg Driskell and the State of the Association Report by ATSSA President & CEO Stacy Tetschner. That was followed by a State of the Industry panel and announcement of two industry awards.

ATSSA’s 51^st Annual Convention & Traffic Expo resumes on Tuesday. The second week of this two-week event includes two general sessions packed with industry panels and the ever-popular Circle of Innovation, which this year is open to all attendees.

Tuesday's general session will include a State of the Industry Panel, Industry Innovation Panel, State of the Association Report, and the presentation of the Industry Achievement and Mark of Excellence awards. The Trade Show booths open on Tuesday and will be open from noon to 5 p.m. daily. 

It’s not too late to register for everything this unique, online event has to offer.

Join the discussion on various aspects of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways (MUTCD) during week two of ATSSA’s 51^st Annual Convention & Traffic Expo.

The discussions are hosted by ATSSA and take place within the Conversation Lounge of the Convention’s online platform. Check out the topics you want to be part of and join the conversation. Participation is free for everyone registered for the Convention.

Sessions run Tuesday through Thursday next week and cover nine topics.

ATSSA President & CEO Stacy Tetschner will be the guest on Transport Topics Radio this Saturday to discuss roadway safety and ATSSA’s 51st Annual Convention & Traffic Expo, which started on Monday and continues through next Thursday.

The program initially airs at 1 p.m. Saturday and will be rebroadcast three times over the weekend.

Transport Topics Radio is hosted by Dan Ronan, who chats weekly with experts from government, business, logistics and other sectors of the transportation industry.

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has issued a letter clarifying the process to obtain an eligibility letter for cable barrier systems.

The “open letter” from Michael S. Griffith, director of the Office of Safety Technologies in the Office of Safety, is addressed to members of the “highway safety hardware and roadside design community.”

He notes that the FHWA received questions about the eligibility letter over the past several months.