LAVIS - Lake District Autonomous Vehicle and infrstructure Systems

The flow of tourist in and around the lake district, especially around lake windermere, is a major and growing problem in terms of increase number of vehicles using the small narrow roads and further being compounded by the volume of pedestrains using the roads where there limited or no pavements. The year-on-year increase in tourist and rise in staycation has placed tremendous strain of the transport network, and exposed the lack of connectivity between the various modes. The Westfield Pod will greatly alleviate the disconnect in the modes of transport currently available increasing mobility, reducing noise and pollution due to it being electrically powered and fully autonomous. The POD will connect Windermere train station to Bowness-on-Windermere terminating at Ferry Nab terminal spanning a distance of 3 miles and also support the increased utilisation of car parks that are slightly too far for peoples' convenience. The linked ferry carries up to 18 cars and over 100 passengers from Browness to Far Sawrey, transports people, vehicles, horses and cycles across the lake, reducing traffic on the surrounding narrow roads. The study will analyse the flow of people in and around the area through the modes of transport and look at the suitability of a fully autonomous vehicle passenger system to support the increase of public transport.