ATRAIL - Active Travel Route Audits using Integrated LiDAR

Public description
The vision for ATRAIL is to deliver a low-cost footway and cycleway survey solution that can be used by local authorities to simplify and speed up the assessment of their footway and cycleway assets and streetscapes. This in turn will allow local authorities to adopt better asset management and maintenance strategies - improving the quality and safety of active travel infrastructure and thereby incentivising greater uptake of active travel by the public.

Our phase 1 project will examine the technical and commercial feasibility of using low-cost Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS) sensor technologies (e.g. the camera and LIDAR sensors in the iPhone 12) to automate surveying of footways and cycleways to provide a holistic assessment of their condition, geometry and features that is currently only achievable from walked manual visual condition surveys and streetscape audits.

The societal and health benefits of active travel are well researched and publicised. We strongly believe any barriers to active travel should be removed and that ATRAIL has a key role to play in improving the infrastructure for active travellers making it accessible, attractive and enjoyable for all sections of society.