Coventry bids to be testbed for CAVs

CAVs

Coventry’s roads could become a testing ground for connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs) under plans submitted to Government. 

Coventry, Transport for the West Midlands, and unnamed partners have submitted a bid to Innovate UK’s £55m connected and autonomous vehicles testbed fund (LTT14 Apr). The programme will support up to four test facilities – including up to two on public roads – within the Birmingham to London corridor, which the Government wants to be a ‘cluster of excellence’ for CAV testing.  

Colin Knight, Coventry’s director of transport and highways, said: “A number of other bids from the West Midlands for laboratory and off-road elements of the testing eco-system are anticipated and will be coordinated with this bid to maximise the West Midlands impact, with only this bid addressing testing infrastructure for the operation on the public highway.”

If Coventry is successful, the funding will enable some of the city’s traffic control equipment to be upgraded. 

Said Knight: “One area of public concern might be over any potential safety issues involving self-driving cars using public roads. Before any testing took place, as a minimum, only CAVs that have been proven first to work successfully and safely off-road, which comply with all UK law and guidance, and are covered by full public liability insurance would be permitted to be tested in Coventry.” 

The city council is already involved in the UK Autodrive project, which runs until next October, and which will see on-road trials of self-driving cars. The proposed test routes in Coventry include the A4114 Holyhead Road, the city’s ring road, and A4114 London Road. 

Coventry is also a member of the UK CITE (Connected Intelligent Transport Environment) project, which will use a 42-mile connected vehicle test circuit on public roads through Coventry and along the A45, M42, M40 and A46 to test vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication.