In Vilnius, plans to test an autonomous vehicle
Two major topics were discussed during the second Vilnius Regional Stakeholder meeting on 1st February: insights and good practices from EoE meeting in Rome, and the preparation for Vilnius pilot action.
Participants of the project Exchange of Experience event in Rome (beginning of December 2023), briefly recalled most of presentations covering different angles of the main topic of the project - transport and underserved areas: drivers’ reactions to road and street reconstructions in response to sustainability and pollution-free requirements throughout Europe; MaaS development efforts, promotion of public transport as a fashionable and fun way of traveling, speed reduction vs. separating transport lanes, cycling should be regarded as the safest mode of transportation, lack of funding and insufficient legislation are probably the biggest obstacles to the development of autonomous transport.
Lithuanian participants of the technical visit in Rome, were very much impressed by the following elements of the Rome Mobility Control Centre: unified software, tracking PT movement, scooter placement, car placement and traffic light integration, modelling, etc. Lithuanian stakeholder representatives identified some more advantages of the Centre compared to similar centres in Vilnius and Klaipėda (in Lithuania).
In Rome, Vilnius team members were lucky to meet, get acquainted and exchange some urgent thoughts with a representative of autonomous car market.
During the second half of the meeting, stakeholders and Vilnius project team discussed the process of the preparation for the pilot action: Autonomous Vehicle (AV) service procurement, market research results, future meetings with residents of the pilot territory, overall communication, and promotion of AV transport in Vilnius.