Yuma, Arizona - Autonomous vehicle testing is expanding across Arizona. And the City of Yuma has been preparing for the technological infrastructure necessary for these cars and trucks to operate at their best.

“Autonomous Vehicles 101: Education for Yuma and Surrounding Communities” will take place 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 12. While the seminar is targeted toward professional transportation planners, economic development officers, engineers and other local government officials and staff, interest in autonomous vehicles and what they mean for the future is on the rise from the general public as well.

Thus, the City will televise this upcoming seminar on its cable channel, 73, and its online and on-demand streams, which are accessible via the Video and TV Streams tab at www.yumaaz.gov.

(To access the live stream while the event is taking place, click on Playlists, then Yuma Live Playlists, then Yuma Live Stream 73. Once the event has concluded and is later successfully uploaded, it will appear on the Recent Videos section and can be viewed on demand.)

Sponsored by the City, Yuma County, Greater Yuma Economic Development Corporation and the Yuma Metropolitan Planning Organization, national, state and local experts will discuss key aspects of the autonomous vehicles economy, as well as policy and infrastructure preparations that communities can make today to prepare for the arrival of self-driving technologies.

The City of Yuma’s dual agreements with Siemens and anyCOMM will provide such infrastructure to this region.

Topics for discussion

  • The Changing Nature of Transportation - Shared, Electric, Connected and Autonomous.
  • The AV Situation in Arizona: The View From ADOT and the Governor's Office.
  • The Implications of the AV Economy for Yuma City and Towns in Yuma County.
  • How the Siemens-anyCOMM project can underpin an Autonomous Vehicle-Supportive Infrastructure.

Seminar Speakers

  • Dale Neef, Technology and Economics Writer and Founder of DNA Solutions.
  • Matthew Clark, Director Of Government Relations at Arizona Department of Transportation and former Policy Advisor on Transportation and Local Governments, Office of Arizona Governor Doug Ducey.
  • Jeffrey Kramer, City of Yuma City Engineer.
  • Ricky Rinehart, Director of Strategic Initiatives, City of Yuma.
  • Paul Ward, Executive Director of the Yuma Metropolitan Planning Organization.