Smart parking bays, powered bikes and electric delivery vehicles are among a series of trials being undertaken by the Royal Borough of Greenwich in London.
The trials, announced by London's Mayor, Boris Johnson, also include testing electric bikes using the River Thames to heat homes.
London is joining forces with cities across Europe in a '25m project that aims to demonstrate how innovative uses of technology can improve the lives of their residents.
The 'Sharing Cities' Lighthouse programme will see Greenwich used as a testing ground for new technology to deliver a better future for local people and includes trialling 300 smart parking bays that aim to optimise parking spaces and help drivers find a space quickly and conveniently. Electric bikes will also be rolled out, to see if these support a shift from private cars, while electric vehicles will be piloted for local deliveries and car sharing.
Similar projects will be put to the test in the cities of Milan, Lisbon, Warsaw, Bordeaux and Burgas and could eventually be rolled-out across Europe. Greenwich is already the focus of other smart city initiatives, linked to the Greenwich Smart City Strategy publishes last year, including the introduction of driverless cars.
The project will also develop a new model of sharing data across cities to make the best use of encyclopaedic amount of information now available that can be used to change the way cities, their communities and services work. This will deliver a common data sharing platform that can be used by all the programme cities and beyond.
The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson MP said, 'London is growing at a record rate and to support the city's future growth, we need to harness our incredible technical prowess and look to what new approaches and technological innovation can bring. By leading this ground-breaking international project we will be able to share ideas with our European counterparts as we work to create a city that is fit for the future and an even greater place to live, work and visit.'
Denise Hyland, Leader of the Royal Borough of Greenwich, said, 'I am delighted that The Royal Borough of Greenwich has been selected to be the demonstrator area for smart cities and communities as part of this important Horizon 2020 European Programme. I am also delighted to be working with the Mayor of London's Office, the many prestigious partners involved, and of course, the cities of Milan, Lisbon, Bordeaux, Burgas and Warsaw. This provides the opportunity to share our experience and learn from others and in doing so, provide further insight into how the use of technology and data analytics can help tackle many of the problems our cities face.
'The Horizon 2020 project will give further impetus to our smart city work and help bring about transformational change. I would like to add my thanks to all those involved in preparing this winning bid for their future commitment in ensuring its successful implementation.'
