The effects of infrastructure quality on the usefulness of automated vehicles: A case study for Leeds, UK

With rapid advancements in automated driving technologies, there is a growing emphasis on enhancing physical and digital infrastructure to ensure safe and efficient integration of Automated Vehicles (AVs) into road networks. This study conducts the first exploratory analysis of the impact of heterogeneity in road infrastructure readiness on the usefulness of AVs for urban commuting, with a focus on Leeds, UK. Employing a hypothetical scenario where current car commuters have access to AVs for their daily trips, this research explores possibility of replacing commuting trips by AVs, given the existing levels of infrastructure readiness. Through the evaluation of various road network configurations and AV capabilities, the study evaluated the usefulness of AVs for such journeys. The findings reveal that infrastructure readiness levels significantly impact AV performance and usefulness, potentially necessitating infrastructure upgrades to facilitate future AV deployment. The analysis indicates that relatively less challenging paths for AVs tend to be longer than those typically used by human-driven vehicles, with an increase of approximately 5 miles (8 km) in travel distance for some origin-destination pairs. Despite only 20 % of road links being classified as extremely challenging within the network, their dispersed distribution resulted in significant connectivity barriers, rendering a considerable number of trips infeasible for AV navigation. The research findings can provide valuable insights to help understand the integration of AVs into road networks and assist decision-makers and transport planners in developing informed and forward-looking policies, regulations and guidelines.