The Transportation Advisory Commission (TAC) of Fairfax County, Virginia established a Futures Working Group to advise the Board of Supervisors (BOS) on emerging transportation technologies. The Working Group has identified opportunities for Fairfax County to experiment with technologies like autonomous vehicles, telecommuting, and drone delivery services. However, they conclude it is too soon to recommend specific policy changes given the many moving pieces. The Working Group recommends Fairfax County collaborate with the state's Smart Cities initiative and establish a cross-departmental team to focus on developing strategies for emerging technologies and their policy implications. The BOS should ensure funding for these activities and continue using the TAC to provide future planning recommendations.

1. County of Fairfax, Virginia
Futures Working Group
Update to BOS Transportation Committee
As of April 16, 2018
Mr. Mike Champness
Dranesville District Representative
Transportation Advisory Commission (TAC)
Department of Transportation
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2. County of Fairfax, Virginia
Background
• The TAC established the Futures Working Group to improve the
advice it offers to the Board of Supervisors (BOS) on the appropriate
application of emerging transportation concepts and technologies
– Working Group began meeting in summer, 2017
– Founding principle: collaborate with others, starting with FCDOT
• Goal of Futures Working Group
– Identify and evaluate opportunities to incorporate emerging transportation
concepts into County transportation plans and strategies
Department of Transportation
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3. County of Fairfax, Virginia
Working Group Conclusions
• Economic development provides foundation for near-term efforts
– Shared interest in Fairfax County being an experimentation test bed; attract firms
• Fairfax County has time to develop its future planning strategy, but…
– Once-a-decade regional transit survey about to begin: last snapshot of a
vanishing commuting world?
– Creation of 5G cloud accelerating: cities and localities in competition
– Companies battling out future of autonomous vehicles in court
• Far too soon for Futures WG to recommend policy changes
– Too many technical and policy moving pieces: autonomous vehicles,
telecommuting, demographic projections (to include possible Amazon HQ), etc.
– And in the air: possible drone delivery services
– Don’t yet know what works: Need to experiment, not just write think pieces
– March 19 Smart Cities workshop: Fairfax County still at the starting line
Department of Transportation
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4. County of Fairfax, Virginia
Transportation Issue Development Areas
• Assess applicability and readiness of new technologies
– Must assess torrent of new technologies: university students review for credit?
– Develop use cases; Pilot projects/experimentation
• Develop adoption strategies for technology and policy opportunities
– Quick wins: smart infrastructure?
– Connected and autonomous vehicles
– On-line retail: more frequent delivery by trucks and/or delivery by drones
– On demand transportation: solo and shared
– Managing data to increase transportation mobility, safety, maintainability
– Expanded telecommuting
– Zoning implications/opportunities to shape direction of future uses
– Remember connections to other County responsibilities, underserved populations;
economic and environmental implications
Department of Transportation
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Technology
Policy

5. County of Fairfax, Virginia
Recommended Next Steps
1. Fairfax County should offer to collaborate with the State of Virginia in
its Smart Cities grant-winning effort
– Five of ten finalists were selected; Fairfax County finished 6th
2. Fairfax County should establish cross-County collaborative staff team
to focus on selected Transportation Issue Development Areas
– BOS should ensure adequate funds are provided for these additional activities
3. BOS should use TAC to provide futures planning recommendations
– Bring knowledge about needs of “average citizens” to futures planning debates
– At same time, effective participation requires expertise in transportation policy and
complex systems analysis
• Broaden participation by hosting regular dialogs with stakeholder groups and transportation experts,
similar to what was done with the TAC Outreach Advisory Group
• Consider balancing background and expertise of future TAC appointees
Department of Transportation
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6. County of Fairfax, Virginia
Questions?
Department of Transportation
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7. County of Fairfax, Virginia
Back Up Slide
Department of Transportation
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8. County of Fairfax, Virginia
Autonomous Vehicles Balancing Act
(Source: Creighton Randall, Smart Cities Conference, Washington DC, Oct 2017)
• Utopia
– Shared Vehicles
– Fewer cars
– Reduced congestion
– Cleaner air
– Better land use
• Each couplet is a value judgement: Way ahead not clear
– Example: Amazon Prime plan for free, same-day Whole Foods delivery
Department of Transportation
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• Dystopia
– Privately owned vehicles
– “Zero occupancy cars”
– More cars and traffic
– More pollution
– Sprawl