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.

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.

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has extended the time for public comment to May 14 for the first comprehensive update to the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways (MUTCD) in more than a decade.

The document opened for public comment on Dec. 14 as originally reported here and was originally to allow comments through March 15.

The Notice of Proposed Amendments for the 11^th edition of the MUTCD contains more than 600 proposed changes, according to a statement from the FHWA.

The U.S. Department of Transportation this week released an “Automated Vehicles Comprehensive Plan”  (AVCP) that details a multi-pronged approach that “prioritizes safety while preparing for the future of transportation,” according to a statement announcing the plan.

“This comprehensive plan lays out a vision for the safe integration of automated vehicles into America’s transportation system while ensuring that legitimate concerns about safety, security and privacy are addressed,” Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao said in the statement.

Public comments should be made within 60 days of the posting.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted unanimously today to reallocate more than half of the 5.9GHz spectrum band—known as the “safety spectrum”—to unlicensed uses including WiFi.

The new rules adopted today make the lower 45 megahertz of the spectrum available for unlicensed uses. They require Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) licensees to stop using this portion of the spectrum within a year.

ATSSA President & CEO Stacy Tetschner called the action "a major blow to the roadway safety community and public safety in general."

If you couldn’t join us for Monday morning’s Opening General Session of Midyear Digital, a recording is now available so you can catch what you missed.

The session includes remarks from Minnesota Department of Transportation Deputy Commissioner and Chief Engineer Nancy Daubenberger. Midyear had been planned for Minnesota before COVID-19 shifted the annual Midyear Meeting to a fully virtual platform for the first-ever Midyear Digital.

Opening General Session also featured a town hall style panel moderated by ATSSA Vice President of Government Relations Nate Smith. The three panelists offered their “6:60:6 Predictions” for the roadway safety industry.

Midyear Digital’s Opening General Session features a panel of national experts providing their “6:60:6 Predictions” for the roadway safety industry.

Panelists include Ken Simonson, chief economist, Associated General Contractors of America;  Jeff Davis, senior fellow and editor, Eno Transportation Weekly; and ​Hilary Cain, vice president, Technology, Innovation, and Mobility Policy, Alliance for Automotive Innovation.

Registration is now open for this fully virtual meeting.

Federal Communications Chair Ajit Pai will be the headline speaker at 11 a.m. Wednesday during a live event hosted by The Hill news outlet.

The event, “The Future of Human Connectivity,” is available to the public. People who sign up can also submit a question. People can also email questions to events@thehill.com.

His session runs from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. E.T. and is entitled, “New Lines of Community: What Connectivity Means and What We Still Need.” Bob Cusack, The Hill’s editor-in-chief, will lead the conversation with Pai.

ATSSA President & CEO Stacy Tetschner sent letters to Federal Communications Commission Chair Ajit Pai and U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao this week strongly endorsing the Alliance for Automotive Innovation’s letter committing to fully utilize the bands of spectrum allocated for transportation safety.

“The commitment undertaken by the Auto Innovators reflects a watershed moment for roadway safety. This letter demonstrates a unified industry committing substantial resources and support for Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X). This approach should dispel any notion that the industry will not deploy V2X or that the Safety Spectrum will not be used,” Tetschner wrote.

The Federal Communications Commission’s Office of Engineering and Technology granted a 21-day extension of the deadline for submitting replies to comments regarding a proposed rule change regarding the 5.9 GHz band, also commonly referred to as the "safety spectrum."

The new deadline of April 27 resulted from the extensive comments submitted and disruptions caused by COVID-19.