Evaluating the suitability of urban road networks to facilitate autonomous buses

Abstract

The present paper intends to develop a method for evaluating the suitability of urban road networks to accommodate the movement of autonomous buses (ABs). The output of this process is the production of a detailed map indicating the score of each road segment in the network. To this end we follow a five-step methodological approach. The first step includes the examination of the current street classification, in order to identify functionality of the road network. The next step deals with investigating specific road network features such as slope, angle degrees in intersections, road surface width (excluding sidewalk) and existence or absence of medians in two-direction roads. After that we map the critical urban spaces or clusters in the study area and calculate their 250m isodistance zones, in order to detect clusters with high urban significance. The final step includes the process of evaluation. More specifically, the road network segments are evaluated through a simple formula, which is the suitability indicator that displays the appropriateness of the segments. The method is applied to the municipality of Kallithea which is a densely populated suburb in the southern part of Athens, therefore a favourable area for enhancing public transport. The suggested method describes a planning tool that can be utilised by policy makers and planners in order to promote sustainable mobility and the use of public transport in particular, improve travel conditions, enhance social equity and augment smartness in a long-term period. Lastly, the method can provide an adequate background for the potential integration of autonomous shuttle buses into the street classification system. This fact will facilitate their movement in the complex urban transport systems and will be a driver for shifting from conventional to smart cities.