Analysis of Safety and Security Concerns for Automated Small Vehicle Transportation on a University Campus

10551772007Final ReportPDFTech ReportKS-06-4C1567Automated guideway transitCampusesParkingPassengersPersonal rapid transitPublic transitSafetySecurityCampus transportationAutomated small vehicle transitSafety dataEducation and TrainingPassenger TransportationPublic TransportationSafety and Human FactorsSecurity and EmergenciesUnited StatesVirginiaWest VirginiaKansasKansas. Dept. of Transportation. Bureau of Materials & ResearchPRT Consulting, IncUniversity of KansasKansas. Dept. of Transportation. Bureau of Materials & ResearchUS Transportation CollectionThis study focuses on the safety and security of automated small vehicle transit (ASVT) in a university setting. ASVT uses small driverless vehicles operating on dedicated guideways to efficiently transport passengers to their destinations. A previous research project found that such a system that interlinks activity centers with peripheral parking could significantly enhance mobility on a university campus. This study is part of a series of second-phase research to investigate implementation issues related to ASVT-type technology. Safety data was gathered for the 30-year old Morgantown PRT system at West Virginia University and for surface transportation on the Kansas State University (KSU) campus. Where applicable, this data was used to calibrate the ASVT system ratings. It was also used to help determine which of the aspects rating undesirable or worse warranted additional mitigating measures. The study concludes that there is no aspect of ASVT that poses any significant security or safety issues that have not been successfully mitigated in other forms of public transit. Furthermore, the inherent nature of ASVT in which passengers are aggregated in small groups rather than large groups provides significant threat deterrence when compared to traditional transit. Additionally, using an ASVT concept as a shuttle between peripheral parking and central facilities in combination with restricted vehicle access to central facilities significantly decreases the threat exposure for vehicle-born explosive device