01 march 2018 oxfordshire guardian abingdon

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Your guide for your

Abingdon, Wantage and Faringdon Thursday, March 1 - Wednesday, March 7, 2018

GROUP

Weekly leisure guide for in and around Oxford

Out& About leisure time in &

around Oxfordsh

ire

A good habit to have

Sister Act Live Choir to light up New The atre

Free

oxfordshireguardian.co.uk

Farmer hatches plan for hens after arson

Inquest opens into stabbing at Poundland

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Join The Jacksons for disco day at Common People

Trekking the Great Wall to say thank you Page 15

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Driverless pods to be trialled at Milton Park to cut car use By Owen Hughes DRIVERLESS electronic pods will be trialled on public roads following plans to halve car usage at Milton Park. The pilot will be the fi rst use of fully connected and autonomous vehicles on public roads in the UK. Innovate UK, the government’s innovation agency, announced the award of £2.5million in funding to trial the self-driving vehicles at Milton Park. Commuters will be able to travel in the electric-powered pods on public roads that link Milton Park with nearby transport services. Matthew Barber, leader of Vale of White Horse District Council, said: “We are delighted to receive the Innovate UK grant that confi rms our ambitions to establish the Science Vale at the forefront of bringing zero emission autonomous public transport to our region.” John Cotton, leader of South Oxfordshire District Council, said the driverless pods are “one of the main principles in the Didcot Garden Town plan”. He added: “The funding will deliver an exciting regular commercial service, using innovative transport, to connect residents, visitors and workers to the surrounding business community based on Milton.” The Didcot Garden Town master plan includes a north-south route

dedicated to sustainable modes of transport, such as cycling, e-bikes and autonomous pods. Most travel between Didcot Parkway station and the large science and business hub is made in private vehicles, but the project seeks to reduce car usage within the site by half. The 30-month project will be undertaken by a consortium of organisations from different backgrounds who are investing in the development of autonomous vehicles, led by UK transport operator FirstGroup. John Birtwistle, project lead for FirstGroup, said: “We’re excited to be leading the fi rst mainstream use of autonomous vehicles in the UK. “By connecting the Milton Park development with the existing regional transport infrastructure, including Great Western Railway trains at Didcot Parkway station, commuters will see a tangible reason to leave their cars at home. “It’s a huge step towards tackling the problem of congestion on our roads and enabling the sustainable future development of the business park and, potentially, other similar sites in the future.” In October 2016, a driverless vehicle equipped with Oxford-developed autonomy software was tested successfully in public for the fi rst time in the UK.

St Blaise of glory PUPILS at a primary school didn’t need to hold out the begging bowl to stage their production of Oliver! Developer Redrow Homes were only too happy to help out by sponsoring the musical at St Blaise CofE Primary School at Milton Hill.

The housebuilder is keen to play an active role in the communities in which it operates. Headteacher Ruth Leach said they were grateful to Redrow for its support. Tonia Taylor, sales director for

Redrow Homes (South Midlands) said: “We were pleased to be able to help support the school in encouraging the children to build their confidence by taking to the stage and wish them well with their fundraising run.”

More printed copies than any other weekly newspaper in Oxfordshire (16,103 audited JICREG pending)

Friday March 16th Advance tickets: Tickets Standing £6

The Ultimate Entertainment Venue

or Seated £8 Available from SHUSH www.shush.fm/events & the SHUSH app The Regent Mall, Newbury Street, Wantage, Oxfordshire OX12 8BU.

Tel. 01235 771122.


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