Region could see Canada’s first two collision-free corridors using autonomous vehicles
The cities of Surrey and Vancouver were selected as finalists on Friday for their joint submission to the federal Infrastructure Canada Smart Cities Challenge. The announcement was made during the Federation of Canada Municipalities annual conference in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
“We intend to implement Canada’s first two collision-free corridors using autonomous vehicles and smart technologies for multi-modal transportation,” said City of Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson. “We look forward to working further with community stakeholders, experts and potential business partners to fine tune our proposal and hopefully secure the $50 million prize.”
“Working collaboratively, we hope to demonstrate the path to safer, healthier and more connected communities while reducing emissions, improving transportation efficiency and enhancing livability in the face of rapid growth and traffic congestion,” said City of Surrey Mayor Linda Hepner. “Following Friday’s announcement we now have $250,000 to further develop this progressive idea and innovative project and show how smart transportation, connections and access will make the cities of Surrey and Vancouver, and the rest of Canada, smarter together.”
Together, both cities undertook extensive public engagement over a four month period to ensure the proposal reflected the values and priorities of both communities. Numerous stakeholders were engaged along the way, including more than 70,000 in person and digital interactions.
The challenge statement submitted by the two cities aims to deliver a model for Canadian cities and ultimately position Canada as a global autonomous vehicle and smart mobility leader. The proposal identifies two collision-free corridors that will be equipped with smart mobility solutions related to:
- autonomous shuttles
- smart mobility infrastructure
- advanced data and analytics, and
- enhanced user experience.
The joint submission focuses on two collision-free multi-modal transportation corridors, enabled by smart city technology, including:
- A Surrey corridor that connects key facilities and services to a major transit hub.
- A Vancouver corridor that extends from Granville Island to Science World.
There were 199 applicants to the Canada-wide Smart Cities Challenge. Out of the 16 submissions in the $50 million category, the joint submission by Vancouver and Surrey was selected as one of the five shortlisted for the top prize.
Finalists will now develop fully-implementable final proposals that outline all design, planning, and project management components of their plans. Each final proposal must present a strong business case with clearly established milestones and measurable outcomes. Finalists will also formalize partnerships with organizations that will help them implement their projects, and will establish project governance structures. This final proposal must be submitted in time for a new deadline in winter 2019.
Final proposals will be reviewed by experts and then evaluated by the Jury. Evaluations will focus on project feasibility, strength of the business case, and clear links to the outcomes established in the Challenge Statement. The Jury will select winners by spring 2019.
For more information, visit smartertogether.ca.