SINGAPORE: The entire western part of Singapore will become a testing ground for autonomous vehicles (AVs), under plans unveiled by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) on Thursday (Oct 24).
The expanded testbed – which will include areas such as Woodlands, Bukit Merah and Choa Chu Kang – will see more than 1,000km of public roads opened up to the testing of such self-driving vehicles.
READ: Driverless electric bus launched by NTU and Volvo in ‘world first’
READ: NTU researchers’ discovery makes key component of autonomous vehicles 200 times cheaper
This expansion will allow organisations to progressively test these vehicles in a wider range of traffic scenarios and road conditions, LTA said.
In comparison, the current largest testing site in the Buona Vista area has only about 70km of roads available for the testing of AVs.
The expanded testing ground will encompass existing testbeds at Buona Vista, Sentosa, Jurong Island as well as the Nanyang Technological University and neighbouring CleanTech Park.
Among the companies currently testing AVs in these areas are ST Engineering, transport giant ComfortDelGro and American firm nuTonomy.
LTA said the move is a response to industry feedback that a more varied test environment will help accelerate the development of autonomous technology.
“This will support the robust testing of AVs’ capabilities to provide inter-town services and longer-haul journeys in a safe manner, and pave the way for the planned pilot deployment of AVs in the early 2020s,” it added.
Map of expanded trial area in western Singapore. (Image: LTA)
The expansion of AV trials will be done gradually over the next few years in a “small-scale, incremental manner”, with all testing subject to LTA approval.
LTA also said that grassroots and community leaders would be informed if there are plans to conduct such trials in their areas.
READ: Singapore’s first on-demand driverless shuttle buses to ferry passengers around Sentosa from Aug 26
READ: Singapore’s driverless vehicle ambitions reach next milestone with new national standards
Any new trials will begin in a “limited manner within a small area”, said the authority, adding further expansions in trials will only be allowed if the AVs pass stringent tests. Public safety, LTA highlighted, will continue to be the “top priority” in these trials.
Vehicles will have to go through a thorough safety assessment before they are allowed on the roads, and must have a safety driver on board who can take over the wheel in case of emergencies.
They must also have third-party liability insurance, and display prominent decals and other markings to allow other road users to identify them as autonomous vehicles.
Image of decal displayed on all AV test vehicles. (Image: LTA)
The move was announced on Thursday by Senior Minister of State for Transport Janil Puthucheary at the opening of the Autonomous Mobility Summit, held in conjunction with the Intelligent Transport Systems World Congress.
AVs have been tested on the roads here since 2015. And in the early 2020s, a trial on the use of driverless shuttles to ferry passengers in three areas – Punggol, Tengah and the Jurong Innovation District – is expected to begin.
In February, a report by KPMG ranked Singapore top in Asia and second in the world after the Netherlands in its readiness to adopt AVs.
The consulting firm’s annual Autonomous Vehicles Readiness Index ranked 25 countries in areas such as policy and legislation, as well as technology and innovation.
