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Driverless cars promise a future without fatal crashes, if Victoria's roads are ready

It may sound like a bold claim by Infrastructure Victoria's Allison Stewart, but the planning is already underway.

Australia's transport ministers have set a national goal of having regulation in place by 2020 to support the commercial introduction of autonomous vehicles.

For cities like Melbourne, which is projected to grow to 8 million people by 2050, the benefit of autonomous vehicles on already congested roads is obvious.

For example, the heavy truck traffic upsetting some residents in Melbourne's west could be shifted to take place overnight, when the freeways are clear.

Bosch is developing driverless technology in Melbourne, and predicts driverless fleets will be used in some of the world's major cities by 2020.

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Bosch Australia president, Gavin Smith, said congestion would vanish because fatal accidents would disappear.

"More than 90 per cent of road accidents are caused by human error," he said.

"Also, 30 per cent of a city is given over to parking. So if vehicles are spending less time on the road looking for a place to park, city life will be different."

The RACV and Infrastructure Victoria predict driverless cars will be slowly integrated in Melbourne's north, where roads are simpler and more suited to the technology at the moment.

Roos, trams pose challenge to driverless technology

Mr Smith said adapting the technology to Australian conditions poses some new challenges — including the need to share the road with Melbourne's trams.

"Hook-turns are unique to Melbourne," he said.

"Kangaroos behave in a way that is different to other animals. Cassowaries, similar."

He believes technicians can solve these issues, but that governments have a role in getting the road network ready for automated vehicles.

Yellow lines on the road, for example, are not being read by some autonomous cars, and irregular or faded road signs can be misinterpreted.

PHOTO: The kangaroo's hopping motion has proven difficult for driverless car technology to analyse. (Supplied)

"Anything that allows those sensors to see more clearly helps. So bright white lines, traffic signals that are at the right intensity, at the right height, always the same position, will help."

Infrastructure Victoria has also delivered a report to the Government saying "good quality" roads are required for driverless vehicles to operate effectively.

How much that will cost is unclear, but the RACV's Dave Jones said there was already a huge road and transport backlog in the state.

"Unfortunately we've estimated that there is a $13 billion backlog of road and public transport projects in the middle and outer suburban parts of Melbourne," he said.

"[That's] not including the major projects in the centre of the city or the massive needs in regional Victoria."

Road laws overhaul needed

The National Transport Commission has identified more than 716 provisions in transport-related laws and regulations which could act as barriers to automated vehicles.

A report by law firm Herbert Smith Freehills warned that governments needed to get the changes right, in order "to ensure there is no repeat of having to retro-fit legislation to keep up with technology, as was the case when Uber disrupted the taxi sector".

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"It involves an overhaul of our road laws introduced in the 1950s and 60s which could not have imagined connected and autonomous vehicles," the report said.

"They include requirements for a car to have a steering wheel, a rear view mirror and a driver.

"The new regulations are expected to be consistent nationally, applicable regardless of the level of automation, and will make way for the integration of international standards as they are developed."

Automated cars also require a planning rethink. Charging stations may need to be set up at more public spaces, offices and homes.

Infrastructure Victoria's Allison Stewart said that could greatly affect the state's power grid.

"We modelled a scenario where we had 100 per cent electronic vehicles in the state in 2046 and found that could require an additional 50 per cent more energy than is already planned for in that timeframe," Dr Stewart said.

Empty cars could clog roads

On the other hand, there is some doubt as to whether a fleet of driverless cars will do anything to clear congestion, especially if they become as easy to use as promised.

The director of the Public Transport Research Group, Graham Currie, said the number of cars could increase by one-third.

"We can have them running around with nobody in them," Professor Currie said.

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"There is a danger they will increase travel. Children can travel. Older people. Do we need a third more cars on the road? Cars without anyone in them?"

VicRoads is also worried driverless cars making empty journeys could double or triple the amount of traffic on the roads.

It's a concern shared by the City of Melbourne, which released a discussion paper earlier this yearwarning that without proper management, driverless cars could make CBD congestion worse.

"Imagine individuals going to work and another child going to school, or to swimming or to gymnastics. That is a reality we want to avoid," said VicRoads's Sameem Moslih.

Despite the issues and concerns, the technology is coming.

The question is — will what we build today, be ready for the cars and trucks of the future?