Calgary city council has unanimously approved a motion to prepare a business case and risk assessment for the city to become an auto vehicle testing site.
A number of councillors suggested the testing of driverless cars could be a way to help diversify the Calgary economy.
Testing is already occurring in a number of cities around the world, including some in Canada.
“Ontario passed enabling legislation in January 2016,” Councillor Richard Pootmans told his colleagues on Monday. “Eighteen states have passed legislation related to autonomous testing.”
Councillors pushing for the idea believe Calgary would be a desirable location for manufacturers because of the landscape, roads and climate.
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Proponents of making Calgary a driverless car testing hub say some companies have already shown interest in the city.
City administration will now work with Calgary Economic Development to conduct a risk assessment and decide if the proposal has merit.
“If we’re looking at becoming a test centre, we would definitely evaluate what costs there were to the city, including the IT infrastructure,” transportation department general manager Mac Logan said. “As part of the future of transportation, we talked a lot about smart signals and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication that is not intended to be part of this undertaking.”
The final decision rests with the province, as it would have to change the legislation to allow such a practice.