Log in
A new form of personal rapid transit has been developed from research which began at the University of Bristol in 1995 and has since been commercialised by a University spin-out company. The ULTra system is now in operation at Heathrow Airport Terminal 5 and constitutes a world first for the UK. Since opening in 2011, passengers have benefited from a personal, fast, reliable and low cost driverless transport system, that has removed the queuing and inefficiencies associated with bus transfers to the terminal. The Heathrow pods completed a million miles of fully driverless operation within two years of the system opening and have the highest satisfaction rating of any passenger service at Terminal 5, which itself is rated as the best in the world. The success of the system has led to a plan to extend it to Terminals 2 and 3.
Research undertaken by the Institute for Transport Studies (ITS) at the University of Leeds from 1995 to 2012 has demonstrated that in-vehicle intelligent speed adaption (ISA) - technology to discourage or restrict speeding - reduces drivers' propensity to speed and consequently can dramatically reduce injury and fatality risk. ITS Leeds research has also shown the environmental benefits of these systems and their high acceptance by users and the public. This evidence has led policy-makers at national, European and international levels to advocate ISA adoption. A key impact has been Euro NCAP's decision in 2013 - directly informed by the ITS Leeds research - to explicitly recognise ISA within the safety ratings of new cars. To this end, the ITS Leeds research has informed a significant change to European-wide `quasi-regulation' and, through encouragement to car manufacturers, imposed lasting influence on the safety features of new cars.
Economic impact
Environmental impact
The impact of the research during the assessment period has been in its contributions to the development of public road safety policy in the UK and in Scotland, particularly affecting young people; the development of ISO standards for safety evaluation; the dissemination of its results to industry and other stakeholders; and public education about the dangers of driver distraction.
HDM-4 is the most widely used system for road investment appraisal and decision making, generating improvements in public policies and services. Economic development and road agencies in developing countries are major users of the tool. HDM-4 has become the de facto standard used by the World Bank for its road investment appraisals and has been used to assess more than 200 projects since 2008, with some $29.5bn of World Bank loans, credits or grants drawn-down to fund these. Uptake of the tool has led to the commercial success of HDMGlobal, a consortium which manages the distribution and development of the software under exclusive licence from the World Road Association-PIARC, with revenues of £1.6m generated since 2008. HDM-4 has also been utilised for economic assessment and road systems investment management in the UK.
The impact described in this case study is the more efficient use of transport infrastructure through the application of our research into the use of wireless components and wireless communication devices. This gives passengers reduced travel times, better business performance for operators, and, for everyone, reduced pollution (including CO2) and a more pleasant urban environment as a result of reduced congestion. The impact has benefitted transport systems throughout Europe, including Nottingham and Coventry in the UK, Gouda in the Netherlands, Leuven in Belgium and Sofia in Bulgaria.
Research at Heriot-Watt University led to the development of a Knowledge Transfer Project (CALM) between the University and Caledonian Aerotech, known as Caledonian Alloys (CA). The KTP enabled CA to deliver material on-time and provide real-time information on the progress of shipments which led to existing customers purchasing greater proportion of their material requirements from CA over competitors. Customers Rolls Royce in the UK and Allvac in US awarded new long term processing contracts in 2009 worth $4m annually in which the CALM capability had a major influence. The company increased from 119 employees in 2004 to 309 in 2009 and currently employs 280 worldwide, reflecting the impact of the research on the company's performance.
Methods have been developed to characterise and evaluate the performance of mass transit systems which have then been applied in 60 of the world's major cities. The financial benefit, as quantified by mass transit operators, is in excess of £0.5 Billion between 2003 and 2013. Examples of impact include cost savings for escalator renewal by London Underground (2009-ongoing), influencing fares policy in Hong Kong (2003, 2012) and the adoption of performance measurement systems, developed by Imperial, by Chinese metros (2010-ongoing). This impact has been enabled by the creation and subsequent facilitation of 5 global consortia comprising over 70 metro, suburban rail and urban bus operators.
Research on sustainable transport conducted by Hickman et al at UCL has contributed significantly to a major shift in UK and international transport policy during the last decade. Whereas such policy previously included little, if any, consideration of climate change, the desire to reduce transport CO2 emissions is now often its primary objective. Findings from and methods developed through the research have been used at city, regional, national and international to support and implement revised strategies and investment programmes promoting sustainable transport. As such, they contributed to increased use of public transport, walking and cycling, and reduced dependence on car usage. The methods have also been widely used by international consultancies and other researchers.
Implementing measures that can maintain, as well as improve air quality is a constant challenge faced by local authorities, especially in metropolitan cities. The AVERT, EPSRC/DTI link project, led by Samuel and Morrey of Oxford Brookes University, were tasked at identifying and proposing a new strategy to limit the amount of pollutants from vehicles dynamically using remote sensing and telematics. Firstly, it established the magnitude of real-world emission levels from modern passenger vehicles using a newly developed drive-cycle. Secondly, it demonstrated a broad framework and limitations for using existing on-board computer diagnostic systems (OBD) and remote sensing schemes for the identification of gross polluting vehicles. Finally, it provided a strategy for controlling the vehicle to meet air pollution requirements. The outcomes had direct impact on Government policy on "Cars of the Future", roadside emission monitoring, and the business strategies for both the Go-Ahead Group and Oxonica Ltd.