Currently reading: UK joins project for autonomous vehicle platform that can find potholes
Jaguar Land Rover and road authorities in West Midlands and Scotland contribute to research that will digitise roads

Two UK road authorities and Jaguar Land Rover are contributing to a global research project intended to develop a system that could enable autonomous vehicles to spot potholes.

Using a platform created by connected tech and transport analytics firm Inrix, JLR, Transport Scotland and Transport for West Midlands will contribute to the development of the AV Road Rules system, which digitalises street signs and road rules so that autonomous vehicles can understand them.

The platform also provides autonomous vehicles with a link to local road authorities, which can provide information about potholes or road damage, so that repairs and maintenance can be rolled out more quickly and effectively.

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JLR’s connected and autonomous vehicle research senior manager, Chris Holmes, said: “Road conditions and layouts can vary drastically over a matter of miles and so it is vital that self-driving is facilitated collaboratively. Local traffic authorities play a significant role in this.

“Inrix AV Road Rules provides improved information to the car, ensuring our self-driving technology is the most safe, sophisticated and capable to deal with challenging real-world environments as we enter new markets across the globe."

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Companies and organisations of various sizes from across Europe, the US and Asia are also contributing to Washington-based Inrix’s platform. They include seven cities, with Boston and Las Vegas among the largest.

Although the UK is striving to become a world leader in autonomous vehicle development, with the UK Government having announced legislation that will allow driverless cars on to roads by 2021, the British road network is considered particularly challenging for developers as a result of its large variety of road scenarios and surfaces.

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russ13b 17 July 2018

budgets?!

i can't think of a time when there appeared to be a money problem when it came to making speed bumps. 

russ13b 17 July 2018

budgets?!

i can't think of a time when there appeared to be a money problem when it came to making speed bumps. 

max1e6 17 July 2018

Speed bumps

All of the speed bumps in the UK should be removed.

They don't slow anyone down. They just damage car tyres/wheels/suspension components/springs/shock absorbers.

They cause more air pollution and higher fuel consumption too because the driver has to step on the accelerator again after going over each speed bump.

An idea thought up by absolute morons.

Peter Cavellini 17 July 2018

Mogadon..........

max1e6@ even Citizen Smith would have said...what you on about?

Peter Cavellini 17 July 2018

Not quite.....

 Max1e6@ Not as simple as that, each department of every Council in the UK at the end of the financial year has to put in for what money it needs for the next Year, it’s kind of whoever gets in first gets the most Cash to operate their department,now with Brexit the Bankers before Councils have been forced to make some really desperate cuts so it’s no surprise that Roads and infrastructure have suffered, Councils don’t fix Roads themselves, their put out to tender and yes some take the cheapest quote but it’s not always the case, and like Acne new holes appear over Night and unless someone reports it you can’t expect it to be dealt with immediately and the company’s who fix holes are liable for penalty clauses if they don’t get the job done on time,so, it’s not your lazy Council, it’s not the half done job, it’s just they can’t do anymore, and no, I don’t work for a Council.

max1e6 17 July 2018

Peter

Do you work for a political party or the Local Government Association?!

Your explanation is a load of rubbish Peter.

If the councils stopped translating all of their leaflets into hundreds of different languages then there would be more money for road repairs.

We don't need diversity coordinators. We need roads that are repaired or replaced before they start to completely fall to pieces.

Peter Cavellini 17 July 2018

Nope....

Max1e6@ no,read last line, I know someone who works within the Council for the past 45 years so knows what their talking about, I don’t know or need to know your background but what I quoted is a potted description.

max1e6 17 July 2018

There, their, they're

Before you tell me that I don't know what I am talking about, learn the difference between they're and their.

45 years?! Maybe the councils need to be shaken up a bit!

Perhaps they should all be sacked.