Canterbury Future of Traffic

Computer-operated, driverless passenger pods will solve Canterbury’s traffic gridlock and pollution, a highly respected academic has claimed.

11:26 09 April 2018

Prof Richard Scase, a leading business commentator and sociologist said that Canterbury should invest in computer-operated, driverless passengers pods instead of spending millions on multi-storey car park in a bid to solve traffic problems and air pollution.

 

Prof Scase, who is Emeritus Professor of Organisational Behaviour at the University of Kent, said that futuristic pods are more flexible than traditional bus service and are now being piloted at Milton Keynes and Swindon.

 

"These and other towns are experimenting with computer-operated, driverless passenger pods operating on dedicated tracks," he said.

 

"They take up little more space and width than cycle tracks and are cheap to operate. A small heritage city like Canterbury offers a perfect opportunity for this option to be explored.

 

He predicted that the new technology would offer more attractive transport solutions and would result in the significant decline in car ownership. This, he says, would also address air pollution. 

 

However, city council leader Simon Cook says Canterbury is not yet ready for driverless cars. He explained: "It's an intriguing concept but I don't think Canterbury is the right place for it. As a city council, we have plenty on our plate and I am not sure our residents would thank us for spending their money on something quite so speculative.

 

"It's hard to see how you would integrate those sort of things, although if someone comes forward with an idea and funding, we will always look at it."