Showcase of new ‘smart’ transport technology held in Aylesbury

Baroness Vere, Mark Shaw and Andrew Jackson (Cycle Fleet) with an electric bike, which was on display. (Image supplied by Buckinghamshire County Council)
A showcase of new ‘smart’ transport technology was held in Aylesbury on Friday 14th February 2020.
Government Minister Baroness Vere of Norbiton visited Aylesbury to see a showcase event in Friar’s Square of new technologies that could revolutionise the way that we get around.
At the event Buckinghamshire County Council unveiled its exciting technology plans and demonstrated some prototypes to residents and invited guests, including Transport Minister, Baroness Vere.
On display at the event were prototypes of roadside sensors, wind turbines, solar panels and lighting columns. The Minister also had the opportunity to tour Fairford Leys and visit the Westcott Venture Park enterprise zone.
The technologies are all part of the ADEPT Smart Places Live Labs scheme which aims to develop and test innovative ‘smart’ technology that will ultimately help improve the quality of life and travel and help create new ways of generating energy, while saving money in the long run. Smart sensors, electric bikes and energy generating road surfaces are just some examples of developments in the pipeline.
The area identified as an ideal test bed for these innovations is Fairford Leys in Aylesbury, a self-contained community of 1,900 homes.
If successful, the new technologies could be rolled out into other areas set to be developed under Aylesbury Garden Town’s plans and used in developments nationally.
Trials of new technologies will include testing on:
- Roadside sensors to collect data about traffic movements and weather conditions and help guide self-driving cars.
- ‘Smart’ lamp posts made from a composite material, which last longer and are cheaper to make and could even support solar panels and wind turbines.
- Road surfacing that generates energy from moving vehicles.
Transport Minister Baroness Vere said: ‘Technology will revolutionise the way we travel, and it was fantastic to see some of the innovative solutions on offer in Buckinghamshire.
We’re committed to supporting communities to thrive in this area, which is why we boosted Buckinghamshire County Council with over £4m to develop projects which will pave the way for a greener, safer and more reliable transport network.‘
£4.5m of funding for the project has come from innovation grant funding from the Department for Transport (DfT) via the Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning and Transport (ADEPT). Buckinghamshire is one of only eight councils in the country to have won this funding.
The Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning & Transport (ADEPT) represents local authority county, unitary and metropolitan Directors. The ADEPT SMART Places Live Labs programme is a two-year £22.9 million project funded by the Department for Transport and supported by project partners SNC-Lavalin’s Atkins business, EY, Kier, O2, Ringway and WSP.
Local authorities are working on eight projects to introduce digital innovation across SMART mobility, transport, highways maintenance, data, energy and communications. Live Labs is part of ADEPT’s SMART Places programme to support the use of digital technology in place-based services.
*Source of article : Press release from Buckinghamshire County Council.