Technology is in the front seat, but is highway infrastructure trailing behind?

The UK is home to a highly innovative transport technology sector, currently valued at £1.5 billion. With the recent developments in assisted driving technology, as well as the prospect of self-driving cars being on the roads in the near future, it’s time to consider whether we’re investing enough in the infrastructure needed to ensure the success of these innovations going forward.
 

The future of driving has arrived

Introducing BlueCruise: Ford’s latest development in assisted driving technology. The “hands-off, eyes-on” technology can control the steering, acceleration, and braking of the car. But if you think you can take your eyes off the road, think again. There’s a camera that monitors your gaze and head position to make sure you’re still paying attention to the road. Any time you look away from the road the car prompts you to put your hands on the steering wheel, steadily slowing to a stop if it doesn’t receive a response.

Although Ford’s Mustang Mach-E SUV is not a fully self-driving car, the approval of BlueCruise technology for use on certain motorways marks the first time in UK history that drivers are permitted to take their hands off the wheel.
 

Full speed ahead for the self-driving revolution

It's clear that automotive technology is advancing at a rapid pace and has no plans to slow down anytime soon. Government legislation rolled out last year, backed by a total of £100 million investment, means that the UK could see self-driving vehicles on the roads as soon as 2025 – just two years away.

The emerging market of self-driving vehicles is particularly lucrative, potentially creating up to 38,000 new jobs as part of a predicted £42 billion industry.

Self-driving vehicles have the potential to transform our lives – from reducing road collisions caused by human error to providing greater public transport links for people living in rural locations. But do we have the highway infrastructure to support the impending self-driving revolution?
 

Local roads in desperate need of investment

Visualising the daily commute in a self-driving vehicle may seem wildly unrealistic for the average driver, especially when their current reality is crumbling tarmac and potholes on local roads. In fact, a recent survey found that nearly one in every nine miles of the local road network in England and Wales is likely to require maintenance in the next 12 months, equating to around 22,600 miles of road.

Although there’s been investment in recent years to improve the overall accessibility, safety, and sustainability of our national highway infrastructure, it’s clear that our local roads are in desperate need of further investment. The additional £200 million payment into the Potholes Fund announced in this year’s Spring Budget is welcomed by many, but it’s only a fraction of the amount that local authorities have indicated is needed to maintain the quality of local roads and tackle the huge backlog of carriageway repairs.

The introduction of self-driving cars will hopefully improve road safety in the future by reducing the number of accidents caused by human error and lessening the impact of any remaining accidents. But without a clear long-term investment plan for local roads in the meantime, road users will continue to bear the brunt of poor road conditions and the 1.5 million potholes reported on local roads. To truly benefit from the technological advancements in the automotive industry, it’s clear that greater investment is needed in our highway infrastructure.

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