Singapore driverless car is expected to go on road next year

The Singapore Ministry of Transport has set up a special committee to explore the use of driverless technology in the transportation system and plans to make Singapore a more livable city. It is reported that the “Singapore Auto Landing Land Transport Committee” led by Peng Jianqiang, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Communications, consists of 17 members, including representatives of relevant government agencies, internationally renowned experts, academics, and industry insiders. They will guide the research and development of driverless vehicles in the next two years and explore the opportunities and challenges brought about by this development. At the same time, the Land Transport Authority and the Singapore Science and Technology Research Bureau recently signed a five-year memorandum of cooperation to jointly implement the “Singapore Automated Vehicle Program” to promote the research and application of driverless technology.

From January 1, 2015, the One Mile Technology City, located in Buona Vista, will allow people to test driverless vehicles on their roads. This will be the first time that the driverless car is driving on the road. Those who are interested in testing unmanned car owners can apply for a test plan on the road in Weilan Technology City in the future so that the automatic car can use its navigation system under real conditions. The authorities will evaluate the safety measures before approving the plan, for example, whether it will formulate detailed safety procedures, including allowing the driver to intervene in the car at any time, and whether or not to insure full third party liability insurance.

Yang Liming, Senior Minister of State for the Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Transport of Singapore, said that driverless technology has the potential to change people's lives. For example, they can read e-mails on the way to work in an automatic car, and can also transport older people to clinics and help car owners. Take the children out of school.

However, from a technical point of view, these concepts need to be implemented for at least 10 to 15 years. Prior to this, it may not be possible to have no cars in the streets, but at least the number of vehicles can be reduced. In the future development of the new town, the authorities may explore the provision of double-deck traffic lanes in the city centre to allow the driverless vehicles to drive on one of the floors, or to add special lanes.

Yang Liming pointed out that in fact, Singapore has already begun to use autonomous driving technology. The northeast subway line, coastal urban line and light rail line all use driverless trains, but such vehicles only travel on fixed routes. If you can meet the needs of passengers, directing the driverless car to any location will inevitably create more exciting possibilities.