Five companies shortlisted for Roads of the Future project

Five companies will present ideas ranging from smart traffic lights to segregated driverless zones in a competition to make UK roads fit or driverless cars. The candidates will receive £30,000 to test ideas, with £50,000 prize available to the winner this autumn. The National Infrastructure Commission shortlisted the companies from 81 entries submitted to The Roads for the Future initiative – led by Highways England and Innovate UK. Aecom is examining how smart signals could advise drivers and vehicles
May 29, 2018 Read time: 2 mins

Five companies will present ideas ranging from smart traffic lights to segregated driverless zones in a competition to make UK roads fit or driverless cars. The candidates will receive £30,000 to test ideas, with £50,000 prize available to the winner this autumn.

The National Infrastructure Commission shortlisted the companies from 81 entries submitted to The Roads for the Future initiative – led by Highways England and Innovate UK.

Aecom is examining how smart signals could advise drivers and vehicles the speed they should be driving at, so they can arrive at the next set of traffic lights as they turn green. The technology is intended to cut congestion and eliminate stop-go driving. This concept will be tested using a simulation model on the A59 in York.

Arup is looking at how kerbsides with fixed features such as double yellow lines, parking bays and bus stops could become more flexible and change according to the time of day and levels of demand. The team will select a high street in London to test their FlexKerbs model.

City Science is investigating how sections of existing roads could be dedicated to driverless cars and make it easier to manage risks and integrate connected and autonomous vehicles into the existing transport network.

Immense Solutions is examining how artificial intelligence could help sat-nav systems learn better routes to help driven and driverless cars change course to avoid congestion. The concept will be tested in collaboration with Oxfordshire County Council using simulations on Abington Road, Thames Street, Oxpens Road and Botley Road.

Leeds City Council is investigating how data generated from digitally connected cars could be used to improve traffic light systems and allow highway authorities to manage traffic on their roads better and reduce tailbacks. The team will conduct its test using models of roads across the city.

Related Content

  • Congestion up globally says TomTom
    March 23, 2016
    According to TomTom’s latest Traffic Index, traffic congestion has increased 13 per cent globally since 2008. But there are big differences between continents; while North America’s traffic congestion has jumped by 17 per cent, Europe has risen just two per cent. TomTom believe the contrasts probably are driven by economic growth in North America and financial troubles in the many parts of Europe. In particular, some countries have recorded a marked drop in traffic over the past eight years, including It
    Read More
  • Developing ‘next generation’ traffic control centre technology
    July 4, 2012
    The Rijkswaterstaat and Highways Agency have joined forces to investigate what the market can do to realise an idealistic vision for traffic control centre technology. Jon Masters reports One particular seminar session of the Intertraffic show in Amsterdam in March was notably over subscribed. So heavy was the press to attend that your author, making his way over late from another appointment, could not get in and found himself craning over other heads locked outside to overhear what was being said. The
    Read More
  • London may trial Dutch-style roundabouts
    April 30, 2013
    Roundabouts similar to those used in the Netherlands, which separate cyclists from cars and give them priority, could be used in London as early as next year, subject to government approval, according to Transport for London (TfL). TfL has begun a major cycle safety research project to trial new and innovative junction layouts and traffic technology that, if successful, could be introduced in London and potentially more widely across the UK. The trials, which are being carried out for TfL by the Transport R
    Read More
  • Audi traffic light recognition technology
    March 11, 2014
    Audi is ready to add a little oil to the wheels of the daily grind with advanced traffic light recognition technology which could make driving through towns and cities far more fluid. Audi Online traffic light information harnesses the power of in-car internet in a new way via Audi connect to establish a link between the car and the traffic light network via the central traffic computer in each town or city. It quickly assimilates the automated traffic light change sequences in the vicinity, and on the a
    Read More

Highlighted Content