With funding from Innovate UK, together with the CCAV (Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles), City Science was tasked with assessing the feasibility and benefits of a physcially segregated self-driving mass transit system on the Hertfordshire Essex Rapid Transit (HERT) scheme.
Overview
HERT is a proposal to connect Hemel Hempstead/Watford to Essex in the east, with one option encompassing a trackless tram. HERT is intended to facilitate decarbonisation, whilst delivering new homes/jobs and providing a step-change in the passenger transport network.
Our objective was to determine whether Connected and Automated Mobility (CAM) would be feasible and provide benefits above and beyond traditional mass transit. The development of physically segregated CAM routes were assessed through two typologies:
- Conversion of disused/operational railways
- Reallocation of road space
Scope
Our study focused solely on routes without mixed traffic and public access and examines the feasibility of level four/five vehicle automation. For these levels, vehicles perform all driving functions under certain/all conditions but may have the option of driver control. The HERT CAM routes are posited to provide a more reliable east-west transport route, facilitating better connectivity and more sustainable options for travel.
City Science Response
The study was carried out according to the following stages:
- User Research: We engaged with a broad range of stakeholders throughout the study delivery process to ensure robust and credible outputs. This involved establishing key opportunities and challenges from AV manufacturers, technology specialists, potential operators, and council transport officers.
- Baseline Evidence & Literature Review: To ensure an integrated approach with wider HERT studies and research policy and the wider regulatory context of CAMs. In addition, collate data to enable site selection process.
- Scheme Benefits, Feasibility, and Safety Analysis: Evaluating the potential benefits of public transport CAMs over manually driven vehicles, considering possible infrastructure and vehicle concept designs and associated capital cost estimates for the proposals (such as capacity, dimensions, and frequency of services), and identifying key safety barriers to overcome for the successful implementation of the technology (including levels of automation and potential issues with public trust).
- Scheme Cost Appraisal & SOBC: To develop an operational cost model, undertake cost-benefit analysis and develop Strategic Outline Business Case (SOBC) covering economic, commercial & financial cases in context of the region.
Outcomes
City Science successfully delivered a final report to Innovate UK on the design considerations, benefits, costs, viability and recommendations for HERTs scheme.