Cooperative Automated Transportation & Technology
Focuses on technologies to support the use of safe and sustainable modes of transportation along gas-powered vehicles. The advancement of wireless technology, data aggregation, and real-time analysis enables WSDOT to support smart mobility options. Examples include micro mobility, the use of connected vehicle technology, and freight automaton support.
Cooperative Automated Transportation (CAT)
The concept is intentionally expansive. It looks beyond existing, developing, and planned transportation concepts to a fully integrated system serving travelers, goods, and services. CAT includes all modes, systems, and uses of surface transportation, whether by light or commercial vehicle, mass transit, shared mobility service, or bicycle or scooter. CAT is automated in vehicles, infrastructure, and operations—in traffic management, intersection safety, fare collection, mobility services, trip planning and more. CAT is cooperative across the public and private sectors, policies, modes, and services. It requires reliable, low-latency, high-bandwidth communications, two-way data, and information exchange among all users, managers, and operators.
Cooperative Automated Transportation includes:
- Modes: automobile, truck, plane, van, bus, rail, ferry, bicycle, scooter, pedestrian, etc.
- Systems: vehicles, infrastructure, information, communications, etc.
- Applications: traffic management, fare collection, mobility services, trip planning, etc.
Data management is based on the principle of treating data as an important agency asset. This includes regular attention to ensure the process of collecting, validating, and evaluating information (for accuracy, reliability, and relevance for informed decision-making) is appropriate and meets the need and purpose for the data asset. Agencies may source certain types of data from WSDOT, other agencies, and the private sector.
Tolls can serve as an additional source of revenue to pay for highway or transit construction or operations costs. Toll revenue can also be used to repay long-term debt used to finance the construction of the transportation facility.