 In the not-too-distant future, self-braking or platooning technology won't be features limited to high-end, luxury vehicles. In an effort to ensure regional mobility and safety in an era of automated vehicle (AV) technology, METRO and its statewide partners will work together to share and develop best practices and standards
Texas is now designated by the U.S. Department of Transportation as an AV Proving Ground. METRO and other partners joined Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI), the University of Texas at Austin's Center for Transportation Research (CTR) and Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) to win the designation along with nine other proposers. It is a signal to industry that public transit will be part of automated vehicle technology advancements aimed at saving time, money and most importantly, lives. Testing will start in controlled environments, but could soon move to streets like those of the Texas Medical Center and METRO HOV lanes.
“Houston ranks 6th in the nation for traffic congestion. We’re always looking for opportunities to improve high-capacity transit and safety through collaboration and innovation,” said METRO President & CEO Tom Lambert. “This designation allows METRO to work with cities, agencies and research institutions to address challenges and define the future of Texas mobility.”
 METRO's role in the Texas AV Proving Ground Partnership is an outgrowth of the Texas Mobility Summit where teams representing cities and research facilities agreed to begin leveraging collective resources to seek opportunities to advance AV technology.
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"When we consider how we will address growing problems relating to traffic and personal mobility, AV technology offers considerable promise. The type of vehicle technology developed in this proving ground could shape future transportation," said METRO Executive Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer Dr. Terence Fontaine.
METRO will host the Houston group's meeting next week.
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