The Feb. 15 and 16 meeting of the Washington State Transportation Commission will include a discussion about autonomous vehicle developments, both on road and in the water, as well as programs for Washington’s clean transportation future.
The meeting starts at 9 a.m. both Wednesday, Feb. 15, and Thursday, Feb. 16. The meeting will be virtual using Zoom. Those interested in attending can register on the commission’s website. TVW will broadcast the meeting live.
Transportation is the biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the state. During the Feb. 15, Wednesday morning meeting, the commission will hear from officials from the state departments of ecology, commerce and transportation about programs underway to ensure a clean transportation future for Washington state.
On Wednesday, the commission also will hear several updates about autonomous vehicles. Commissioners will learn about collaborative efforts by the cities of Seattle and Bellevue to advance autonomous vehicle testing, and from the ACES Network about approaches to connecting vehicles to transportation infrastructure to increase safety and real-time communications. The commission also will be briefed about the Washington Autonomous Vehicle Cluster, a Kitsap County-based effort to accelerate autonomous vehicle innovations in the marine sector.
Other highlights of the commission’s two-day meeting include:
Tolling equity: The Washington State Transportation Center at the University of Washington and Washington State Department of Transportation staff will update the commission on Wednesday about their study of tolling equity.
Puget Sound Gateway Program update: On Thursday, Feb. 16, the commission will hear about progress on the SR 509 Completion Project in King County and the SR 167 Completion Project in Pierce County, both part of WSDOT’s Puget Sound Gateway Program.
Washington Traffic Safety Commission projects: Traffic safety officials will discuss new programs for delivering traffic safety messages to multicultural audiences and safety improvements in low-income neighborhoods.
The commission will take public comment at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 16. Those wishing to speak can sign up during the meeting by posting their name in the Q&A box on-screen. Written comments can also be submitted via email to transc@wstc.wa.gov.
For more information about the commission and a complete meeting agenda, visit the commission’s website: wstc.wa.gov
I have driven a car with this feature and at first it was a bit startling when this feature kicked in but it did work. I have read that you will need a human also in these vehicles. For cars though the least expensive is about 25,000. dollars and up. So I wouldn’t expect a huge percentage of citizens could afford them but maybe some. Do we still have the rule or requirement we had for so long that you take your car in every two years and have exhaust systems checked? I would say that this was a good idea except it didn’t really force the real smokers to fix the auto if the tab to fix was over a certain amount! The amount was low. We should have that again only if a car doesn’t pass regardless of COST it should not be on the road. a program to help those who need it to fix the auto properly then why not. We do lots of this for other reasons, right? This would help a lot I think. I know two different subjects but it all adds up to better safety and less emissions. Right?