The California PATH Program of IVHS research and its approach to vehicle-highway automation

The California PATH Program was established by the Institute of Transportation Studies of the University of California at Berkeley, under the sponsorship of the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans). Its mission is to conduct the research and development work needed to establish the foundation for applying advanced technologies to improve the operation of the state's transportation system. Because transportation problems produce significant local political anxiety in California, and are recognized to be serious impediments to the state's economy, the PATH Program is very much mission-oriented in its focus. The PATH focus is on producing viable technological solutions to California's transportation problems rather than on basic research. The article presents a general approach to vehicle-highway automation, then discusses mainly the lateral and longitudinal vehicle control