House of Lords Committee visits GATEway driverless vehicle project

As part of its ongoing inquiry into autonomous vehicles, members of the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee today (6 December) visited the GATEway Project in the Greenwich. GATEway is one of the research development programmes for self-driving vehicles in the UK.

(The “GATE” stands for Greenwich Automated Transport Environment.)

As previously reported by Post&Parcel, the Committee has been exploring the potential uses and benefits of autonomous vehicles and the transition path needed for the co-existence of autonomous and conventional road vehicles. They have heard evidence from government officials, academics and industry experts on how driverless vehicles will fit into the wider transport strategy, whilst also exploring the socio-economic aspects in the deployment of self-driving cars.

During the site visit to Greenwich, members of the committee had the opportunity to see and test the new technology for themselves. They witnessed final testing of the first GATEway shuttle vehicle ahead of public trials and experienced the Transport Research Laboratory’s (TRL) portable driving simulator, MiniDigiSim.

Members were also taken for a ride in the Geni, the development vehicle of GATEway partner Oxbotica, that navigates using Selenium, Oxbotica’s autonomous operating system.

The Committee’s Chairman, Lord Selborne, said: “Over the course of our inquiry we have heard compelling evidence on how autonomous vehicles can benefit society and the economy. However, if we are to realistically see these cars on UK roads in the near future, research and investment is vital. Projects such as GATEway ensure the roads are ready for driverless vehicles as well as the efficient integration of sophisticated automated transport systems into complex real world environments.”