Autonomous vehicles can be trialed along the so-called Midlands Future Mobility route it has been announced today by Transport for West Midlands with Coventry City Council, Birmingham City Council and Solihull Council in the UK.
The route, which covers over 300km of inner city, suburban and road roads from Coventry to Birmingham, includes key interchanges such as Birmingham International Airport and the HS2 hub in Birmingham.
The first type of vehicles will be connected vehicles that simply warn of traffic, crashes and other hazards. Test cars will initially have a driver onboard and occasionally a second person monitoring how the vehicles are behaving. Fully autonomous vehicles will be trialed on the route in the near future.
Andy Street, mayor of the West Midlands, said, “Seeing our roads being used as a test bed for this new technology is both exciting and a step forward, and this vital research will help pave the way to bring key investment and jobs to the region.”