By the year 2045 or 2050 Connected and Automated Vehicles (CAVs) have the potential to significantly disrupt travel demand across North Carolina. The North Carolina Department of Transportation is currently planning the infrastructure that will serve our travels needs in 2045 and beyond. There is an urgent need for NCDOT to better understand the potential effects of CAVs on travel demand and traffic forecasts, as a failure to do so could lead to big implications for NCDOT and the citizens of North Carolina.
This research will provide guidance to NCDOT on possible modification of parameters and assumptions within the Regional Travel Demand Model (RTDM) Development Guidelines, including possible modifications to the standardized procedures related to CAVs. This guidance will be informed by scenario testing that will consider different levels of CAV penetration, various impacts on travel demand parameters (including changes in land use), and various impacts on supply parameters. This research will also provide guidance on the consideration of CAVs in the more advanced model structures found in the Triangle, Triad and Greater Charlotte regions, and areas not covered by the RTDM Development Guidelines.
