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Vancouver and Surrey have been selected as finalists to receive $50 million in federal funding to build corridors that use driverless cars.
“We intend to implement Canada’s first two collision-free corridors using autonomous vehicles and smart technologies for multi-modal transportation,” says City of Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson.
The joint submission focuses on a 3.4 km corridor connecting Surrey Memorial Hospital and other key services to a major transit hub. The 2 km Vancouver route would extend from Granville Island to Science World.
Autonomous shuttles would run along the corridors, reducing the number of collisions caused by human error and providing a pilot for the wider scale deployment of the technology throughout the region, according to the joint proposal.
Vancouver and Surrey made a joint submission to Infrastructure Canada's Smart Cities Challenge and are one of five finalists out of 199 applicants. The cities receive a $250,000 grant to develop their final proposal.
“Working collaboratively, we hope to demonstrate the path to safer, healthier and more connected communities while reducing emissions, improving transportation efficiency and enhancing livability in the face of rapid growth and traffic congestion,” says City of Surrey Mayor Linda Hepner.
Vancouver and Surrey will compete with Edmonton, Montreal, Quebec City and Region of Waterloo for $50 million.
Richmond and Greater Victoria are among 10 cities competing for two prizes of up to $10 million, which is open to all communities below 500,000 residents.
Final proposals must present a strong business case outlining design, planning and measurable outcomes that will be submitted in winter 2019.
"I challenged community leaders to be bold and think outside-the-box, and I am pleased to see that they answered the call through the innovative ideas they submitted. These new ideas will result in positive outcomes for Canada's middle class and improve people's quality of life," says Federal Infrastructure Minister Amarjeet Sohi.
The winners of the Smart Cities Challenge will be announced in the spring of 2019.
