Implications of automated vehicles for physical road environment: A comprehensive review

Automated vehicles (AVs) have received intense attention in academia and industry around the world in recent years, but the imminent introduction of AVs brings new challenges and opportunities for transportation networks and built environments. It is important to understand the potential infrastructure-related requirements of AVs and their impact on road infrastructure in order to assess the readiness of the existing road network and prepare plans for future roads. This paper seeks to address what the implications of automated vehicles will likely be for the road infrastructure based on a comprehensive literature review. To investigate this issue, two broad questions were framed: What are the potential effects of AVs on physical road infrastructure; and What do AVs require from road infrastructure for safe driving. A total of thirteen key topics around infrastructure have been identified from the existing literature regarding vehicle automation that needs to be considered during either the initial phase of deployment or transition to full automation. In the light of the identified topics, the paper presents potential changes and challenges, making recommendations for future research directions to ensure a safe and efficient operation.