Members of the public can now register to take part in the UK’s first public driverless vehicle trials, due to take place later this year.
The trials will take place in the Royal Borough of Greenwich and are part of the GATEway (Greenwich Automated Transport Environment) project - an £8m research project to investigate 'the use, perception and acceptance of autonomous vehicles in the UK'.
Taking place in the UK Smart Mobility Living Lab and led by the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL), the trials aim to investigate how different user groups feel about fully automated vehicles. Those chosen to be part of the trials will be given the chance to ride in a driverless vehicle and asked to provide their views.
Business secretary Sajid Javid said: 'Very few countries can match our engineering excellence in the automotive sector or our record on innovative research, and this announcement shows we are already becoming one of the world’s leading centres for driverless cars technology.'
Professor Nick Reed, director at TRL and Technical Lead of the GATEway project added: 'Testing these vehicles in a living environment, like the UK Smart Mobility Living Lab, takes the concept from fiction to reality. It gives the public a chance to experience what it’s like to ride in an automated vehicle and to make their own mind up as to how much they like it, trust it and could accept it as a service in the city.'
In addition, members of the public can also register to take part in workshops on the future of driverless vehicles. Taking place in June, the workshops will encourage debate on the topic as well as participate in creative activities with designers and researchers from GATEway partner, the Royal College of Art.
Those with experience or knowledge of Greenwich are also encouraged to share their views on driverless vehicles via a web-based sentiment mapping tool.
To get involved in the online discussion visit: https://gateway.commonplace.is/comment
For more information or to register your interest in participating in workshops or trials visit: https://www.gateway-project.org.uk/get-involved/.
Register now for full access
Register just once to get unrestricted, real-time coverage of the issues and challenges facing UK transport and highways engineers.
Full website content includes the latest news, exclusive commentary from leading industry figures and detailed topical analysis of the highways, transportation, environment and place-shaping sectors.
Use the link below to register your details for full, free access.
Already a registered? Login
