Competition to prepare Britain’s roads for driverless cars launches ~ station of gear

Hugo Griffiths 2018-01-15 00:01

Entrants have until 18 March to submit their plans for future road design, with five ideas to be issued with £30,000 funding ahead of final

Renault Symbioz concept - Johnny Burn autonomous

A competition to help prepare Britain’s roads for autonomous cars has been launched, and entrants have two months to prepare and put forward their concepts.

Suggested ideas for consideration include how self-driving and conventional vehicles can coexist on the road, and how roads can evolve to accommodate both autonomous vehicles (AVs) and electric vehicles (EVs). Entries should address three broad themes:

• How existing roads and infrastructure should be adapted for AVs
• How traffic lights and other control methods such as pedestrian crossings should change
• If rules and regulations, such as speed limits and parking restrictions, should be altered for AVs

The contest, run by Highways England and Innovate UK, seeks fresh ideas as the Government gears up to ready roads for the advent of driverless cars, shaping how people travel “for generations to come.”

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Launching the competition, deputy chairman of the National Infrastructure Commission Sir John Armitt, said: “As car manufacturers invest billions in driverless vehicles we must ensure our roads network can accommodate them. Whether from industry or academia, we want to see [entrants] submit their ideas.”

Innovate UK’s Ian Meikle said that the UK has the potential to be a “world leader” in the field of transport technology.

Entrants have until March 14 to submit their ideas, which they can do via Innovate UK’s website. Five entrants will be selected to go through to the competition’s second round, and each will be issued with £30,000 to further develop their ideas over three months in the run up to the final.

What ideas do you have for preparing roads for autonomous vehicles? Let us know below…

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