Shortlist announced for UK’s Roads for the Future competition

The UK’s National Infrastructure Commission has shortlisted five companies including Aecom and Arup in a competition for ideas to make roads fit for driverless cars. The five companies were chosen from 81 entries submitted to the Roads for the Future initiative led by the roads authority Highways England and Innovate UK, a government agency that encourages research and innovation in many sectors. Aecom is examining how smart traffic signals could advise drivers as to a speed they should be driving if they
May 30, 2018 Read time: 2 mins

The UK’s National Infrastructure Commission has shortlisted five companies including 1397 Aecom and 1419 Arup in a competition for ideas to make roads fit for driverless cars.

The five companies were chosen from 81 entries submitted to the Roads for the Future initiative led by the roads authority Highways England and Innovate UK, a government agency that encourages research and innovation in many sectors.

Aecom is examining how smart traffic signals could advise drivers as to a speed they should be driving if they wish to arrive at the next set of traffic lights as they turn green.

Arup is testing its FlexKerbs system that changes roadside indicators such as for parking and limited stopping could change according to the time of day and traffic levels.

The shortlisted firms will present their ideas ranging from smart traffic lights to segregated driverless zones at a final event this autumn. All five candidates will receive €35,000 to test ideas, with around €57,000 going to the winner.

Four other commended entries are being put in contact with leading figures across government and industry to test their ideas, the commission said.

The other shortlisted companies were City Science, which is investigating how sections of roads could be dedicated to driverless cars while making it easier to manage risks as well as integrate connected and autonomous vehicles into the transport network.

Immense Solutions is examining how artificial intelligence could help sat-nav systems learn to choose routes to help driven and driverless cars avoid congestion.

Leeds City Council is investigating how data from connected cars could improve traffic light systems to reduce tailbacks.

Highway & Network Management

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • ERIC 2016: What shape the ‘Smart Road’?
    February 7, 2017
    Optimism about the future of highways worldwide abounded at the inaugural European Road Infrastructure Conference (ERIC) in Leeds, UK Around 500 delegates passed through the varied sessions during the three-day event at the Royal Armouries Museum in the northern English city of Leeds. They came away with many visions of what a motorway and road could look like. But what speakers at the event - co-organised by the Brussels-based European Union Road Federation (ERF) and the UK’s Road Safety Markings Ass
    Read More
  • ITS America and SWRI announce student essay competition
    April 20, 2012
    ITS America and Southwest Research Institute are once again sponsoring the Annual Student Essay Competition for the 2012 ITS America Annual Meeting & Exposition, which is being held in Washington D.C. on 21-23 May, 2012. Designed to encourage student interest and future participation in the development of ITS and solutions, the objective of the essay competition is to provide an opportunity for today’s transportation and engineering students to apply their knowledge in a thought-provoking and enjoyable c
    Read More
  • Pollution-free highways of the future: a reality?
    February 9, 2018
    More collaboration is needed to reduce the impact of highways on the environment, particularly air quality. The technology already exists, argue Bram Miller* and Martin Broderick* The European Environment Agency produced a report showing that a slow improvement in air quality has been observed across Europe. However, 9% of urban Europeans were exposed to nitrogen dioxide emissions in excess of the EU’s annual maximum limit in 2015. Meanwhile, associations between highways and the environment tend to be n
    Read More
  • ARTBA presents transport safety awards
    October 1, 2015
    The American Road & Transportation Builders Association’s Transportation Development Foundation (ARTBA-TDF) has presented awards to five separate industry initiatives. These were highlighted for commitment to promoting safety during the association’s 17th annual Roadway Work Zone Safety Awareness Awards held recently at a luncheon during ARTBA’s National Convention in Philadelphia. The competition recognises outstanding programmes, campaigns and technologies aimed at helping reduce roadway work zone a
    Read More

Highlighted Content