“They will clearly reshape society. Today’s big question … is how exactly will Australia reach that future?” The technological advancements come as crews rev up to start early works on the southeast components of $11.5 billion motorway WestConnex next year.  Prof Waller said while motorways would be an important factor, the real issue would be city planning. “I think Google cars and many others are making great progress on motorways (in the US), urban (driving) remains a challenge because the cars need to interact with humans and cyclists and so on.”