Cudal, New South Wales, will receive Australia’s first ever, five-star safety testing facility, testing vehicle safety technology.
Minister for Regional Transport and Roads, Paul Toole, said the new facility would be a game changer in the way vehicle safety technologies are tested in Australia.
“No longer will organisations and manufacturers be forced to test new vehicle technologies overseas to receive a safety rating, they’ll be able to do it right here in NSW,” Mr Toole said.
“We will be able to use this facility to test emerging technologies such as communication between cars and traffic lights, along with continued development of smart highways.
“We also know universities and the private sector are keen to get out to the facility and start researching, and we look forward to seeing what they deliver to improve safety on our roads, as we work to drive the road toll toward zero.”
Mr Toole said the new centre would allow testing to take place under regional conditions.
“We’re building a custom-made testing centre in regional NSW, where we can test technologies which will one day be able to respond to the unique challenges of regional Australia including unsealed roads and kangaroos.”
NSW Minister for Transport and Roads, Andrew Constance, said the new facility built upon the success of the established facility at Huntingwood in Sydney’s west.
“This facility will provide a simulated, open road for technicians to test things like autonomous braking, lane departure warnings and speed control functions,” Mr Constance said.
“In the near future it will also allow experts to test and refine emerging technologies such as vehicle to traffic signal communications, and complex vehicle-to-vehicle systems.”
The new automated testing facility will operate at an upgraded disused airport located at Cudal, about 40 minutes from Orange.
The NSW Government has also invested $1.5 million to purchase new test equipment.
