Rapid advances in automotive technology mean opportunities to work on our roads network are exciting and innovative.
From the civil engineers creating our roads and bridges to the automotive engineers designing the cars to be driven or drive themselves, the highway to innovation has never been more ambitious.
Existing careers in road safety, traffic management, maintenance, and civil engineering will soon sit comfortably alongside jobs in smart technology, green transport and innovative design.
Here at s1jobs we’ve come over all Marty McFly to look at some of the projects our engineers of the not-so-distant future could find themselves working on.
Self-driving cars
No longer confined to the realm of science fiction, self-driving cars will be on Britain’s roads as early as 2021. Featuring radar sensors, video cameras and light detection, they are expected to become an increasingly common sight over the next ten years.
Electric cars
The final big push on electric cars is charging ahead with plans to make the A9 the first fully electric highway in Scotland. Last year the Scottish Government revealed plans to install charging points up and down Scotland’s longest road. Wireless electric vehicle charging – which removes the need to ever stop and refuel – is also being tested in the Netherlands.
Solar roadways
This aims to replace standard asphalt roads, parking spaces, pavements and bike paths with solar panels that generate clean and renewable power. The panels also contain LED lighting and heating elements to melt snow. Take that, Beast from the East!
Glow-in-the-dark roads
Road markings could be painted with glow-in-the dark paint, eliminating the need for lights. Anti-icing roads and dynamic paint indicating whether the road temperature is too hot (not likely in Scotland!) or too cold to affect driving conditions are also being trialled.
Synchronised traffic signals
Los Angeles is the first major city in the world to fully synchronise all its traffic signals in an effort to alleviate jams. The city has linked up all 4400 of its signals by using magnetic sensors in the road to measure the flow of traffic, allowing the network to automatically adjust traffic flow.
Intelligent highways
Roadside ‘listening stations’ will link with GPS receivers in cars to monitor traffic patterns and accidents. Information is then passed to sat navs in cars to help drivers avoid congested areas.
Get yourself on the highway to a new career with the latest Engineering and Technical vacancies at s1jobs.