Driverless car testing in the works
Driverless cars are a step closer to zipping around Christchurch's empty river red zone area.
Land Information NZ (LINZ) and the NZTA have drafted a lease agreement to allow autonomous vehicle testing around Christchurch’s empty river red zone area.
The five-year lease would allow testing in a site bounded by Pages Rd, Anzac Dr, Westland Grove and Morganwood and Wairoa streets, or roughly 34 hectares of space.
When signed, it will be the most significant temporary lease for the 602 hectares of earthquake-damaged land, as other earthquake-affected projects have stalled due to obstructions with the application process.
One of the companies pushing for the self-driving vehicle testing zone is NZ Mobility Lab.
NZMobility Lab chair Jim Harland said while getting the lease to operate was an important step, it was only one part of the requirements to set up the testing area.
"The licence won't and can't commence until a Traffic Management Plan specific to the testing of autonomous vehicles is approved and a health and safety site plan put in place," Harland told Stuff News.
"NZTA's contribution is holding the licence for the [red zone test area], understanding the legal requirements for testing and trialling autonomous vehicles in our role as regulator, ensuring they are complied with and ensuing technology that should be managed by government agencies is in place."
NZTA would fund some of the road repairs needed for the project. The cost of this has not been assessed yet. If manufacturers required specific roading conditions they may be asked to fund it themselves.
As well as driverless vehicles, the testing would involve transport technology such as connecting vehicles to real-time data, high definition mapping, and fare payment systems. The programme would not be limited to the red zone.
The scheme is led by the NZTA, in partnership from the Christchurch City Council, Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, Civil Aviation Authority and the University of Canterbury.
