Trials of driverless cars get underway

11/02/2015 | HIGHWAYS REPORTERS

Driverless cars are being trialled for the first time in the Royal Borough of Greenwich today (11 February 2015).

The trial is being launched in Greenwich Peninsula – location of the GATEway (Greenwich Automated Transport Environment project) trial – by Transport Minister Claire Perry and Business Secretary Vince Cable, alongside publication of a Department for Transport (DfT) report setting out the pathway for the widespread introduction of the technology.

The GATEway project includes the testing of a fully driverless vehicle named the Meridian Shuttle, which will be evaluated in various scenarios over the next two years. This morning (11 February 2015) it will take its inaugural journey at Greenwich Peninsula.

The GATEway project will test a number of important factors involved with using automated vehicles with the aim of putting the UK at the forefront of developing this type of transport technology.

Over the next two years the GATEway project will:


  • Demonstrate automated transport systems in a range of environments


  • Explore the legal and technical changes required to introduce automated vehicles


  • Explore the reactions of both pedestrians, drivers and other road users to automated vehicles.


The GATEway project is made up of a consortium of 11 members, led by TRL (Transport Research Laboratory) along with key partners including the Royal Borough of Greenwich, which is the location for the trials. Other key consortium members include RSA, the global insurer, who will be looking at how automated vehicles might impact the motor insurance market, Shell and Telefonica who will be learning how the technology might impact their sectors and the University of Greenwich who will be researching how people might interact with driverless vehicles.

Business Secretary Vince Cable said: "The UK is at the cutting edge of automotive technology. It’s important for jobs, growth and society that we keep at the forefront of innovation, that’s why I launched a competition to research and develop driverless cars. The projects we are now funding in Greenwich, Bristol, Milton Keynes and Coventry will help to ensure we are world-leaders in this field and able to benefit from what is expected to be a £900 billion industry by 2025. The government’s industrial strategy is backing the automotive sector as it goes from strength to strength, we are giving business the confidence to invest over the long term and developing cutting-edge technology that will create high skilled jobs."


Project lead Dr Nick Reed said: “The innovative GATEway project will help place the UK at the forefront of the rapidly emerging sector of research and development related to automated vehicles. Through the strengths of the consortium and the project location within Greenwich – at the heart of the UK’s only globally recognised megacity, we can start addressing the technical, societal and legal barriers to automated vehicles and create a world class, technology-agnostic testing environment to help deliver the future of urban mobility.”

Transport Minister Claire Perry added: “Driverless cars are the future. I want the UK to be open-minded and embrace a technology that could transform our roads and open up a brand new route for global investment.

“The breadth of public and private sector involvement in the GATEway project is testament to the potential of driverless cars and how much we stand to gain from testing them further. I want to thank the Greenwich team for all the work they have done so far and I will be watching the trials with interest.”

Further trials, being led by three consortia and supported by government funding, will take place in  Bristol, Milton Keynes and Coventry. They will last from 18 to 36 months, and will assess how driverless vehicles function in everyday life on public roads and their scope for making road travel safer and more sustainable.

The next step is for the government to introduce a code of practice which will provide industry with the framework they need to trial cars in real-life scenarios, and to create more sophisticated versions of the models that already exist. This code of practice is scheduled for publication in spring 2015.

Visitors to last year's Seeing is Believing were able to see self-driving cars in action. The biennial event will return to Bruntingthorpe Proving Ground in Leicestershire next year from 9-10 November. You can read a review of the 2014 event and find out more about self-driving cars here.

Highways InProfile

latest magazine issue
Highways jobs

Director of Transport

£112,924
East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA) is on a bold journey. East Midlands Region
Recruiter: East Midlands Combined County Authority

Ferry Host - WMF3049i

£25,584 - £25,992
Ferry Host - WMF3049i Windermere, Cumbria
Recruiter: Westmorland and Furness Council

Director of Streetscene

£94,972 - £108,767
We continue to have big ambitions for our borough Fareham, Hampshire
Recruiter: Fareham Borough Council

Principal Engineer - Urban Traffic Control (UTC)

£44,711 - £49,764
Liverpool is home to vibrant, energetic and engaged communities. Liverpool, Merseyside
Recruiter: Liverpool City Council

Roadworker/Driver

Grade 6 £25,183 - £25,638 per annum (Pay Award Pending)
We’re looking for Roadworker/trainee LGV drivers to be part of our team Derbyshire
Recruiter: Derbyshire County Council

Project Chargehand (2 Posts)

Grade 9 £31,344 - £33,253 per annum (Pay Award Pending)
We’re looking for experienced Project Chargehands to be part of the Highways Construction Services team Derbyshire
Recruiter: Derbyshire County Council

Lawyer 2- Planning and Highways

£49,764 - £54,181
We are looking for a fresh thinking and enthusiastic Planning and Highways Lawyer Hereford, Herefordshire
Recruiter: Herefordshire Council

Development Engineer

£35,967 - £41,268 per annum
Are you ready to play a key role in shaping and safeguarding the future of our highways and public spaces? Bexley (City/Town), London (Greater)
Recruiter: London Borough of Bexley

Professional Services Partnering Manager

Grade 13 £47,653 - £51,296 per annum (pay award pending)
We are seeking a dynamic and experienced Professional Services Partnering Manager to lead the strategic management Darley Dale, Matlock
Recruiter: Derbyshire County Council

Technical Supervision Manager

Grade 13 £47,653 - £51,296 per annum (pay award pending)
We are looking for an experienced and driven Technical Supervision Manager to lead our technical supervision teams within the Highways Service. Derbyshire
Recruiter: Derbyshire County Council

Street Lighting Electrician (CDC)

Grade 8, £32,662 - £36,239 (pay award pending)
Highways Operations is a growing service area within the Place directorate. Doncaster, South Yorkshire
Recruiter: City Of Doncaster Council

Highways Assistant Engineer WMF2133e

£39,513 to £40,476
We have an exciting opportunity for the right person to work within the challenging and ever-changing landscape. Penrith, Cumbria
Recruiter: Westmorland and Furness Council

Highways Inspector/NRSWA

£36,345 - £40,344
We are looking for an organised and self-motivated individual to join our Streetworks Team based in Hackney Central. Hackney, London (Greater)
Recruiter: London Borough of Hackney Council

Structures Commissioner

Grade 14 £53,166 - £59,080 per annum (Pay Award Pending)
We are seeking an experienced and strategic leader to join our team as the Structures Commissioner. Derbyshire
Recruiter: Derbyshire County Council

Team Leader Network Co-ordination

£51,429 - £58,140
As Team Leader for Network Coordination, you’ll manage a team that oversees all works and events on our public highways. Kensington and Chelsea, London (Greater)
Recruiter: The Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea Council

PRINCIPAL TRANSPORT PLANNING OFFICER

£43693 - £46731
We have an exciting opportunity for an experienced professional to join our team in Hull as a Principal Transport Planning Officer. Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire
Recruiter: Hull City Council

HIGHWAYS AND TRAFFIC ENGINEER - 4 POSTS

£43693 - £46731
We have several exciting opportunities for suitably qualified Highways Civil Engineers and Traffic Engineers Wilson Centre, 1st floor, Hull HU1 2AG
Recruiter: Hull City Council

Principal Transport Planner

£45,718 to £49,764
Do you have considerable experience in the transport strategy and policy, and are you looking for your next career development opportunity? Sheffield, South Yorkshire
Recruiter: Sheffield City Council

Project Lead - Bridges and Structures WMF3037e

£45,718 to £46,731
We are currently seeking to recruit a Project Lead to join our Bridges and Structures team Kendal, Cumbria
Recruiter: Westmorland and Furness Council
SUBSCRIBE NOW

Latest Video

Subscribe to Highways today to ensure you keep your finger on the pulse of everything happening in the UK road network throughout the year.

SUBSCRIBE NOW