Our roads are about to be transformed, as Costain is awarded a contract that will see them design and install a connected vehicle corridor in Kent – and it could be exactly the sign we’ve been looking for that self-driving vehicles are still on the agenda.
The notion of the self-driving car was, until recently, one that remained in the imaginings of science fiction writers and excitable children. The idea that our roads would one day be teeming with vehicles driving themselves was, at one point, ridiculed before becoming an exciting – and realistic – prospect.
But after years of hype and headlines filled with news of failed tests and injuries, the idea has seemingly slipped a little out of reach once again. Until, that is, news broke of Costain being awarded the contract for ‘Wi-Fi’ pilot roads in Kent – a sign that self-driving vehicles might be back on track.
Waking from the Dream
The hype and optimism around self-driving vehicles – enough to keep them in the public consciousness for the best part of the 21st century – was proven in recent research by Cox Automotive (as reported on by Global Fleet). In the results of their survey, they saw the rise in public awareness of autonomous technology, but also the steady drop in confidence, following incidents such as Uber’s fatal accident in Arizona and Tesla’s own deadly crash in California.
Such incidences have undoubtedly shaken our initial imagining of an autonomous future, putting the idea a little further out of reach. I can’t help but feel that we need – and what the automotive industry and its disruptors need – is a realistic stepping stone that takes us from where we currently are, in terms of road suitability, technology and connectivity, to where we need to be to properly accommodate self-driving vehicles.
This is where ‘Wi-Fi roads’ may hold the answer.
The Path to Smarter Roads
In order to welcome self-driving cars and the inevitability of their arrival back into public graces, we must address a few key issues first. Evidently, these include safety as a paramount concern, but there’s also the very real need to upgrade roads in a manner that isn’t overwhelming, and provides tangible stepping stones towards a concept that might still be considered ‘too futuristic’.
Although Costain’s contract win is recent news, the idea behind it isn’t. Back in 2015, plans were announced for £11bn worth of Wi-Fi enabled roads, ‘expressway’ transformations, and smart motorways. Although expressways – supposedly created by removing junctions from dual carriageways – haven’t exactly become widespread, we’ve already been able to see smart motorways controlling the flow of traffic, and now Wi-Fi roads.
If George Osborne’s plans for autonomous vehicles back in 2016 (which mentioned Costain’s future project by name only) is anything to go on, then Wi-Fi roads are the necessary foundation which needs to be built before self-driving vehicles take to the roads.
By installing Wi-Fi masts, as well as devices in trial cars, it’s possible to turn a stretch of road into a so-called connected corridor. The benefit here is immense: cars can quickly pick up safety warnings, traffic updates and other useful information beamed from the masts.
For self-driving vehicles, this becomes an unparalleled source of information which, when harnessed properly, could help to soothe the collective anxiety around autonomous safety.
One Step at a Time
As Sasha Lekach points out in her brilliant article for Mashable, “innovation happens incrementally”. There are many naysayers who would have us believe that self-driving vehicles will never happen, or that they can’t be trusted. But as Lekach points out, tests are being undertaken right now, with technology being tested out of sight to make autonomous vehicles safe for the roads – just because the negative stories hit the headlines first, it doesn’t mean that great strides aren’t being made.
Now, the presence of Costain’s win in the headlines places the innovation happening behind the scenes front and centre for the world to see; this is one part of the step-by-step process Lekach mentions, and it’s happening all around us.
Another of those steps is considering pre-existing technology and knowledge from other areas and industries, to elevate what self-driving cars are capable of. For example, military tech is currently being courted as a solution for AI-driven cars to navigate snow safely.
The journey from a human behind the wheel to being driven everywhere by AI may have seemed like an impossible leap some years ago, but now we’re learning more than ever that innovation needs stepping stones – and that driverless cars are in no way off the agenda.
As Costain’s pilot road takes shape over the coming months and years, we’ll be able to watch how we travel transform with our very eyes; we’ll be watching history in motion. What could be more exciting?
At Kaleida, we believe in innovating. We build bespoke software solutions for our clients, thinking outside of the box to deliver them a much-needed antidote to their key challenges. To find out more about our work, visit our case studies page, or get in touch with our team – they’re happy to help.
