Building a strategy to accelerate the development of CAM in the United Kingdom (National Pilot)

Oxfordshire Context

Oxfordshire, a south-central English county, blends rural and urban environments. It’s predominantly rural but hosts urban centres like Oxford. The county’s diverse topography is marked by two uplands, a broad vale, and the River Thames.

This mix of urban and rural settings has significant implications for transport planning, necessitating a nuanced understanding of the county’s varied geographical and demographic characteristics. Oxfordshire’s transport context is therefore shaped by a variety of factors, including its geographical location, population distribution, economic activities, and environmental considerations. Oxfordshire faces several transport-related challenges, such as congestion, environmental impact, and the need for better connectivity. The existing public transport network in Oxfordshire follows a radial, ‘hub and spoke’ pattern centred on Oxford, particularly the city centre. However,

connectivity is more limited outside these radial corridors, both within Oxford and especially in the more rural areas of Oxfordshire.

Oxfordshire’s transport network is undergoing a transformation with an ambitious plan to deliver a zero-carbon transport network by 2040. This plan aims to enable the county to thrive while protecting the environment and making Oxfordshire a better place to live for all residents. The Local Transport and Connectivity Plan (LTCP), adopted in July 2022, aims to reduce the need for travel and discourage unnecessary individual private vehicle use by making walking, cycling, public, and shared transport the natural first choice.

Objectives of the demonstration

To develop a deeper understanding of the communities, their requirements and expectations for CAM technologies

Understand the potential barriers from a rural perspective which includes age, accessibility and for vulnerable persons

Construct methods and tools for Oxfordshire County Council (OCC) that will be used in the delivery of future CAM deployment

Giving the communities the opportunity to learn and discuss these technologies with the delivery agents of future CAM projects

Expected outcomes

Feed into OCC roadmap for Network Management Plan

Develop the future versions of the Local Transport & Connectivity plans (LTCP)

Understand interactions between internal traffic management and control systems, including what viable infrastructure is required

Integrate learnings into the Innovation framework for new infrastructure & developments.

The OCC innovation framework forms as a guidance for other organisations to futureproof further innovation in the field. OCC will feed back into the British Standards Institution CAV safety advisory board for any guidance or standards that need to be developed. The project will support Department for Transport in the development of any future CCAM guidance for the UK and dissemination

All learnings will help OCC to deliver better services in the future and create sustainable services for all

Partners involved

West Midlands Context

The West Midlands is the second most populous conurbation in the United Kingdom at around 2.9 million inhabitants. It consists of three cities Wolverhampton, Coventry and the UK’s second city, Birmingham.

The area of the region is not that large at approximately 902 square kilometers which leads to much of the region being urban sprawl. There are pockets of ruralness in Solihull & South Coventry.

The region was heavily industrialised with coal mining and iron production in the Black Country and heavy automotive manufacturing in Birmingham and Coventry. However, a lot of this industry has eroded over time. The region still has strong automotive connections and a flourishing cluster of CCAM industries are based in the region.

The West Midlands area is the second-most ethnically diverse area in the country (after London). 55.8% of the population in the West Midlands identify as White British, compared to 71.4% nationally.

One third (33.6%) of the West Midlands Combined Authority area population is under the age of 25, higher than the England average of 29%. The median age is 38 years, two years lower than the England average of 40 years.

The public transport network in the West Midlands is hugely reliant on bus which serves almost every corner of the region. There is a fairly comprehensive heavy rail network although large swathes of the West Midlands are currently underserved by rail. There is also a Metro (light rail network) which is expanding rapidly; however, this only serves a small portion of the region. The West Midlands also has Birmingham Airport which has connections to Europe, the USA and Asia.

Objectives of the demonstration

Building on the existing work as part of the SINFONICA project.

Understanding barriers to CCAM which can be navigated when deploying automated vehicles.

Engaging with the public on CCAM to build trust before operational deployments.

Complementing the work carried out by the Influencing Transport Lab (ITL) in understanding behaviour change in the West Midlands.

Supporting the regional Local Transport Plan in investigating alternate transport modes.

Expected outcomes

Applying the learning in the deployment of future projects.

Informing regional policy on attitudes towards CCAM and how we can work with different communities

Advising operators and technology providers how to overcome potential barriers and increase accessibility.

Building a better connected, more prosperous, fairer, greener and healthier West Midlands.

Partners involved

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