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Report on PRT (February 2009)

Report on the Personal Rapid Transport proposals for Daventry

Following a Town Council survey in October 2008 it became evident from the results, that a significant number of people had concerns for plans to introduce a new public transport system in Daventry based on automatic driverless vehicles know as PODs. It was clear to Town Council members that in spite of the detailed plans that were evolving from studies being commissioned by the District Council, little or no information was being made public on the infrastructures (guide-ways tracks etc) required to operate such a system, and there seemed to be very little effort made to properly inform and involve the people in gauging the impact these structures might have on the town and neighbourhoods along the route.

In October 2007 Daventry people were introduced to a radically new transport system at a live demonstration featuring various types of driverless cybercars. This Showcase was organised in conjunction with CityMobil which is an organisation partly-funded by the EU and involved in promoting and investigating road transport systems for the urban environment. Three PODs were put in service along a 400m track; each had room for two adults and two children (and in the words of the organisers) “visitors could experience by themselves how an automatic transport system works and what it might look like in their town”.

In a follow up report Citymobil state- “Daventry District Council intends to implement a Personal Rapid Transport system (PRT) in the town and the display of these vehicles was an important step to forecast the acceptance of the system by the population”. Source - CityMobil web site - Daventry Showcase.

We understand that this demonstration is the only direct public involvement Daventry people have had in the PRT.

Personal rapid transport technology (PRT) has been around for many years, but to date there is no fully operational system operating in an urban environment anywhere in the world. Cardiff and Corby have recently considered and rejected plans for a system similar to the one now being proposed for Daventry.

For the purposes of this report the Working Group has concentrated its efforts on understanding the logistical requirements of such a system and how its physical infrastructure is likely to impact on the community of an established market town like Daventry. We have made no appraisal of cost, ecological value, or the potential economic rewards of being the World’s first to implement such a radically new system in an established urban environment.

Much of the information comes from first hand knowledge, gained from visiting the Ultra Test Track in Cardiff organised by the British company ATS and Daventry District Council, where engineers are finalising a test programme for a PRT system designed for Heathrow. It would seem that Advanced Transport Systems of Cardiff (being a world leader) is the District Council’s preferred partner in this project. One member of the Working group is actively involved on the People’s Panel - a group of 27 people set up as a public consultation unit by DDC. Other information is readily available on the DDC and ATS web sites and also widely available on the internet.

The basic configuration proposed for Daventry is for a 55km track operating up to 500 fully automatic driverless vehicles, and designed to serve the public transport needs of the town and industrial estates, as Daventry expands to a population size of 40,000. We have found there is a common misconception, not only within the community, but also amongst some District Councillors, that the PRT will be operating on the town’s current road layout – and this is most probably as a result of the initial “showcasing” of the PODs in 2007, which shows the vehicles travelling freely along unrestricted pavements.

European legislation, having its basis in the Treaty of Rome, demands that the driver is at all times responsible for a vehicle that uses public roads. However sophisticated they become the present regulations are clear- the barrier to allowing unmanned automatic vehicles to use the public highway will always be- who is going to be held responsible in case of an incident? The uncertainty around this issue effectively bars automatic systems from using the public highway, restricting them to private land. It is abundantly clear that all Personal Rapid Transport systems using unmanned automatic vehicles will require a dedicated single-use track to operate within the law.

Furthermore, for safety reasons, such ground-level systems would require substantial 2m high fencing each side of the track, protecting not only the public from the PODs but also its occupants. Source - CityMobil and Automatic Transport Systems of Cardiff.

In practical terms this is not an insurmountable problem and it has been suggested that much of the proposed layout for Daventry will run at ground level around the outskirts of the town. However, to serve the inner urban areas (including schools, the town centre shops and hospital) at some point such an arrangement will be in direct conflict with other vehicles and the public. A fenced-off PRT track running at ground level down the side of most streets in Daventry would very quickly encounter road junctions and cars wanting to exit private drives. Here the track must be elevated to six metres above ground to allow traffic to pass under.

Plans of the proposed layout for Daventry available on the DDC website do not differentiate between ground level and elevated track but it is difficult to envisage much remaining at ground level once it enters the inner urban area without the whole system resembling a fairground rollercoaster.

It is estimated that a single-lane track (both at ground and elevated) will be at least three metres wide, with any twin-lane track being six metres to accommodate the PODs, and to include a walkway for passengers in case of breakdown. Substantial fencing (at high level) will also be required to satisfy public safety. Stations will be required along the route allowing the PODs to enter a side loop (or lay-by) to pick up passengers; in most areas within the town centre this is likely to create a problem of space with an area approximately 10m by 20m being required.  

Due to legal restraints guide-ways at ground level will require to be enclosed within substantial uninterrupted fencing, making this configuration impracticable for most of the routing proposed for the inner areas of Daventry. High level guide-ways by their very presence would not only have a substantial impact on the character of the town, but also visually impact on individual households and neighbourhoods along the route.

All evidence suggests that these proposals are moving at a pace with detailed plans now being put in place for a pilot route to precede full scale installation. Daventry people have not been apprised of the full extent of the infrastructure required to operate the proposed PRT system. This lack of information clearly denies them the opportunity to make reasoned judgement and comment. It would seem that DDC are reliant on the public reaction to the earlier showcase demonstration as a measure of public acceptance. The Working Group considers that it is not in the public interest for DDC to hold to this position.

Throughout this investigation the Working Group has strived to remain impartial, seeking to present the facts as objectively as possible.

PRT Working Group

Daventry Town Council

February 2009