ITS Monday: Edition 38, 2025

Getting up to speed with autonomous vehicles

Amongst others on this 29-minute ABC radio discussion are Professor Michael Milford and Associate Professor Milad Haghani. “Long before AI dominated the media hype-cycle, self-driving cars surfed the hyperbolic wave. But fully automated vehicles have now been a long time in development, long enough that we’ve decided it’s time for an update. So, how advanced is the technology and where is the demand?

We also find out about consumer attitudes toward the “driver-assist” technologies that are now routinely fitted into modern cars. Surprise, surprise, it seems not everyone wants to be told how to drive.”

• Related iMOVE article:
  • Connected Vehicles: Info, Projects & Resources
  • Autonomous Driving: Info, Projects & Resources

  Related iMOVE projects:

  • Ipswich Connected Vehicle Pilot: Final reports
  • Chippendale Automated Vehicle Trial

2025 Transport Opinion Survey

The latest results in the Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies‘ long-running opinion surveys, measuring the public’s opinion on transport-related issues.

Applications of large language models and generative AI in transportation: A systematic review and bibliometric analysis

A new academic paper, co-authored by Nadia Maksoud, Hamad AlJassmi, Luqman Ali, and Abdul Rahman Masoud.

The abstract:

The integration of Large Language Models (LLMs) and Generative AI (GenAI) in transportation has gained significant attention, particularly in applications related to traffic safety, intelligent transportation systems, and autonomous driving. This paper provides a bibliometric analysis and systematic review of the current literature on LLM-based applications in transportation, analyzing 65 relevant studies published between 2023 and 2024 from Scopus and Web of Science.

The review categorizes existing applications into three primary thematic areas: Traffic (28 studies), Autonomous Driving (23), and Safety (15). The findings highlight the transformative role of LLMs in traffic prediction, crash analysis, and risk perception, demonstrating their ability to process large-scale, multimodal datasets with improved efficiency and adaptability. Additionally, this study explores challenges such as computational demands, data limitations, model scalability, and cybersecurity concerns, providing insights into emerging solutions for real-time traffic management, accident prevention, and human-AI interaction in autonomous systems.

The review concludes by identifying key research gaps and future directions, emphasizing the need for lightweight AI models, enhanced multimodal integration, and privacy-preserving frameworks to advance LLM applications in smart and sustainable transportation systems.

Most OECD countries get to work within 30 minutes. This is how Australia compares.

Stemming from the  latest Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia Survey by the University of Melbourne and the Melbourne Institute. “It found that most Australians’ time travelling to work was decreasing since the coronavirus pandemic, with the average daily commute taking under an hour, or slightly less than 30 minutes one-way.”

Related iMOVE article:

• Traffic Congestion: Info, Projects & Resources
• Working from Home: Info, Projects & Resources

Related iMOVE project:

• COVID and Working from Home: How has it impacted transport?

Mornington Peninsula takes home Excellence in Road Safety Award for innovative project

“Mornington Peninsula Shire has won the Excellence in Road Safety Award at the Australasian Road Safety Conference (ARSC). The successful project used Connected Vehicle data to measure the effectiveness of compact roundabouts in 80km/h zones.”

Healthy ageing and active travel: Identifying age-related barriers to walking and cycling

Another new academic paper, co-authored by Natarsha Vukalovich, Stephen Greaves, Katherine Owen, Anne Tiedemann, and Melanie Crane.

The abstract:

In a period of increasing mobility technologies, sustainable transport options, and healthy ageing concerns it is timely to better understand the barriers to active travel, particularly for older adults. Drawing from a survey of 1,522 Sydney residents, we compare travel patterns and perceived barriers to walking and cycling for older adults (60+) and younger adults (18-59). Car/motorbike/Uber use and walking have frequent and consistent use across both age groups.

In contrast, public transport and bicycle/e-bicycle use both decline with age. Perceived barriers to walking and cycling are analysed across age groups using logistic regression. Relative to younger adults, older adults are more likely to identify an injury or disability (OR 1.45, 95% CI 1.02 to 2.04) and the convenience of driving (OR 1.35, 95% CI 1.05 to 1.73) as barriers to walking/walking more. Conversely, older adults are less likely to identify no-one to walk with (OR 0.47, 95% CI 0.33 to 0.68), personal safety (OR, 0.28, 95% 0.17 to 0.45), traffic (OR 0.26, 95% CI 0.17 to 0.41), inadequate street lighting (OR 0.50, 95% CI 0.27 to 0.90), no footpaths (OR 0.41, 95% CI 0.24 to 0.70), and distance (OR 0.74, 95% CI 0.58 to 0.96) as barriers to walking/walking more.

For cycling, lack of access to a bicycle (OR 2.74, 95% CI 2.15 to 3.48), and insufficient skills (OR 2.9, 95% CI 2.1 to 3.99) are key issues for older adults, while sociocultural and built environment barriers are again perceived as less of a barrier. Practical issues (distance, transport availability, skills development), personal limitations, and potentially the nature/purpose of travel are key factors associated with active travel among older adults in Sydney. Policymakers need to ensure sociocultural and built environment barriers are lowered to ensure those already walking and cycling maintain this into old age.

Related iMOVE article:

• Active Transport: Info, Projects & Resources

Related iMOVE projects:

• Safer cycling infrastructure: Design and policy
• Modelling cycling investments in regional areas
• OneDock: Supercharging e-micromobility

From neighbourhoods to nation: Mapping wellbeing through the SGS Cities and Regions Wellbeing Index

“The SGS Cities and Regions Wellbeing Index (CRWI) is an annual publication developed by SGS to fill a gap in the availability of objective wellbeing data at the local level. The Index brings together seven dimensions and 24 indicators of wellbeing, reported by local government area (LGA), to provide a detailed picture of how communities across Australia are faring.

TfNSW changes direction on autonomous buses

“Transport for NSW is looking to test advanced autonomous assistance features on buses, with the state transport authority investigating both new buses and retrofitted solutions for its existing electric bus fleet.“

Major operator receives 151 new electric Sydney buses

“The operator who will receive 151 new electric buses in the Greater Sydney region has been unveiled as the major operator is set to add the models to its fleet. After announcing in late August that it will order 151 new electric buses for Sydney, Transport for New South Wales (TfNSW) confirmed in September that Custom Denning and Volgren would be building the buses.”

What six years of trials taught Busways about electric fleets

“Six years after first testing electric buses on Australian roads, Busways has reached a new milestone in its zero-emission journey, welcoming two new Volvo Volgren battery-electric buses to its Penrith depot as part of Transport for NSW’s New Bus Services for Western Sydney program.”