Bolton Council sends 'feasibility study' on driverless pods

Bolton Council and its partners sent a “feasibility study” to the government which looked at how a project like this could be undertaken.

A letter sent to the borough’s MPs seen by The Bolton News stated that the network could make use of a disused railway line and could potentially link up areas like Middlebrook and Logistics North.

The letter stated: “The proposal is to provide a fast, sustainable, space-efficient, on-demand 24/7 public transport service between the Bolton Interchange (Bolton Town Centre) to the Royal Bolton Hospital. 

The scheme aims to link up the town centre with Royal Bolton Hospital (Image: Newsquest)

“A large section of the route will be off-road utilising the alignment of the disused rail line, complimenting the existing pedestrian and cycle path by increasing surveillance along what could be a multi-modal corridor. 

“At this time, the proposal looks to benefit from level three autonomy which requires segregation from existing highway users and therefore the on-highway sections of the route along Thynne Street and Bridgeman Street will be elevated.”

It added: “One of the key aspects of the feasibility exercise is to demonstrate the technological benefits and the ability to apply this technology to other routes and applications. 

“On this basis the feasibility exercise has also considered other routes across Bolton beyond the primary corridor linking to Logistics North and the Middlebrook complex.”

In December last year a report put before the council said that it and its partners had submitted a successful bid for £199,760 to the Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles.

The funding was to be used for a “feasibility” study for the scheme.

Bolton Council has  said that the study was sent to the government earlier this month.

The letter to MPs said the council had partnered with Transport for Greater Manchester and with consultancies Arcadis and Dromos for an Innovate UK funded feasibility study.

It said that high demand for parking at Royal Bolton Hospital, on Minerva Road in Farnworth, was likely to increase after the opening of the new medical science education building.

This meant that by 2027 there could be more than 1000 daily trips between the town centre and the hospital.

The letter said that the solution could be an “autonomous vehicle corridor”, meaning a route for regular driverless cars.

It asked the borough’s MPs if they were interested in signing letters of support for the proposal.

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In response, Bolton Council say that if realised the scheme could bring various benefits.

A spokesperson said: “The council is committed to exploring new and innovative ideas as our work continues to regenerate all parts of the borough. 

“The feasibility study was submitted to government departments last week and if funded the proposed Connected Autonomous Mobility (CAM) system would bring a number a major benefits. 

“The aim of the project is to connect the town centre to the hospital site via a cost effective, zero emission CAM system, with future expansion opportunities, demonstrating a viable solution for 24/7 on-demand autonomous mobility.”