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(upbeat music)

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This time we reveal

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how city planners keep millions on the move.

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Everything is instant.

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Everything has to be now.

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City life is I want it, I go and get it.

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From the extreme climbers

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maintaining San Francisco's Bay Bridge.

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All you have to ask yourself is,

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well, does my family, does my wife and boys

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go over the bridge?

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How much do I value their life?

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To the hidden army

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that keeps London's buses running.

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Have to make sure everything leaves on time,

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all routes, all services.

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There's hardly any gap in any service.

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And scientists fighting the crisis

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with inspired solutions for the future.

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Something that's going to transform the world

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and it's something that's going to happen.

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It's not a dream, it's going to happen.

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(intense music)

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Half the world's population

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live in urban areas.

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And the number is rising every second.

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Each day is a race against time

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to house, feed, water and move more than 3.5 billion people.

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It's an impossible daily challenge.

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The slightest glitch can bring a city to its knees.

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And every 24 hours,

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it has to be done all over again.

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This is the story of how cities work.

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San Francisco.

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Every day tens of thousands of commuters

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pour into the city over its two bridges.

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The busiest is the San Francisco to Oakland Bay Bridge,

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which carries over a quarter of a million cars every day.

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But, like every structure in the Bay area,

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it's under attack from a natural enemy, rust.

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Today an inspection team

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is heading for its massive western span.

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It's a high risk operation for Rachel Donovan

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and her team.

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All kinds of terrible things could happen, so,

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everything high, if we were to drop something

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and if it were to fall in the traffic,

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you know, it would easily break a windshield.

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So, one of the things we're doing,

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in addition to making sure we have

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all of our safety gear for ourselves,

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is we're making sure that everything we have

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is tethered on a string of some kind.

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Anything could become a lethal projectile

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if dropped from up here.
(dramatic music)

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They're aiming for the top of the towers

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which soar 160 meters above the bay.

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There aren't any lifts.

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The only way to the top is up a cable

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that's just 80 centimeters wide.

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As you can see, it's a little difficult

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walking on the cable.

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{\an8}And we're walking on a circle, basically, so,

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{\an8}trying to stay on top of it.

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{\an8}It's not very wide.

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At this height,

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any fall will almost certainly be fatal,

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so they're clipped on at all times.

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As they get higher, the risk increases.

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As you can see,

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the cable starts to get steeper and steeper

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as we reach near the top of the towers,

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so makes it a little bit more difficult

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once we get closer to the tower to hike up.

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(tense music)

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After the long climb,

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they reach the relative safety of the summit.

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Now, the real work begins.

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If left unchecked, rust could force the bridge to close,

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cutting off the city's most important commuter link

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and endangering the lives of those who use it.

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Our role in the maintenance of them

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{\an8}is to find defects.

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{\an8}In most cases, we don't find anything real bad

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and that's the whole idea of maintenance.

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When you're finding something small and minute,

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get it fixed then so it doesn't deteriorate further

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and become a full-blown issue.

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To find those defects,

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there's only one way to go: down.

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And this time, they won't have the safety of the cable

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under their feet.

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They'll be abseiling.

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Chris Elbo is an experienced abseiler.

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But he and his teammates still have to look out

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for each other.

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Periodically, you have to check

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your buddy's gear as you're checking your own.

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'Cause a lot of times when you're out here,

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you're out in the sun,

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you've been climbing a few hours,

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you might miss something so,

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it's always a good idea to check each other's work.

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And if things do go wrong up here,

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they're on their own.

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We are all ready in the event of an emergency

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{\an8}to rescue each other.

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Someone could drop in and help the other person

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who is on the rope, perhaps,

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if they are unconscious or whatever,

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we are trained for first aid CPR

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so we can provide that right on the spot.

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The two-man descent team is finally ready.

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If anything's going to go wrong,

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it's likely to happen now.

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Just a few meters down, Chris detects a problem.

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His safety rope is caught up.

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You know what? I don't like this.

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His team looks on helplessly.

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(tense music)

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Moments later, his rope untangled,

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Chris is safe to continue.

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While traffic thunders beneath them,

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the inspectors record any corrosion on the tower face.

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For Edward Thometz, the importance of what they do

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outweighs the risk.

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All you have to ask yourself is,

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well, does my family, does my wife and boys

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go over the bridge?

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How much do I value their life?

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There ya have it.

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That's how thorough I'm gonna be.

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Finding corrosion is only the start of the job.

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If it's not dealt with,

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rust will eat away at the structure,

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so Chris and the team call in the paint crew

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to tackle it.

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Today's job, a patch under the main highway.

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To fix it, the paint team need to get to it.

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But the only access is from the road itself.

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Shutting down the bridge would cause chaos.

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Without this bridge,

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it would probably cause numerous backups

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on the other arteries.

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So, they close a single lane.

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{\an8}This is a very risky job

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{\an8}considering that each driver that passes through

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is a potential hazard for us

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in terms of wiping us out.

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I've seen several accidents since I've been here

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a little less than two years.

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This time, no such trouble.

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And it's over to the paint crew.

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Between them, Randy Crawford and Floyd Lacy

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have over 14 years experience on the bridge.

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The worst enemy is probably the weather.

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The fog comes in, it just sits on it

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and that's what creates the rust.

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They call it volatile organic compounds,

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salts, bird crap, smog, all those things

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mixed with the moisture sit on the steel

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and eat it up.

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We get a low charge through the bridge

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that's caused just by the wind and the currents

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that you get electrolysis at the bottom,

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you get all kind of things acting on the steel

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to tear it apart.

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It's a dangerous job.

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They have to clip on to avoid falling

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but that's not the only hazard.

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The old paint work contains toxic lead.

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So, they have to suit up in protective clothing.

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Once ready, it's time to apply the protective red primer.

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To reach this stage, they've already spent

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a week preparing the surface.

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It's a lot of work, a lot of hand tools.

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The other days, we're, like I said,

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on our knees, on our back with hand tools, grinders,

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roto hammers, needle guns,

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working the iron.

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It's loud, it's dusty.

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Then we're wearing different respirators with air fed,

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keeps us safe from the lead.

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The protective clothing

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makes a tough job even harder.

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It's stifling.

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You're in a sauna.

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Your shoes will fill up with water,

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just your sweat.

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I lost 12 pounds my first month last summer

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just doing that.

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You can't breathe.

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Once the primer is on,

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Floyd and Randy will use a special kind of aluminum paint

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to protect the steel from corrosive elements.

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Once finished, this area should remain rust-free

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for the next 15 years.

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The war against corrosion will never be over,

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but for Floyd and Randy, there is a plus side.

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This is somewhere not anybody can be at.

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This is kind of an amazing thing to me

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to be working up here.

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It's the best views in the bay, though,

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being up here all day long.

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Rust is a menace,

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but the bridge faces a far more instant,

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catastrophic danger.

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It can reek havoc in seconds.

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And tackling it will take way more

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than a simple lick of paint.

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San Francisco sits on two major fault lines

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in the Earth's crust,

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placing it in the shadow of a constant threat.

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Earthquakes.

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On October the 17th, 1989,

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a 6.9 magnitude earthquake ripped through the Bay area.

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A 250 ton section

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of the Bay Bridge's eastern span collapsed.

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A driver was one of 63 fatalities that day,

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and the bridge was closed for a month.

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San Francisco will experience another earthquake.

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When it does, it can't afford to lose the use

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of this major commuter link again.

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The solution?

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To replace the old eastern span

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with a whole new, earthquake-proof bridge.

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The man commuters are depending on to deliver it

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is seismic engineer, Marwan Nader.

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The old bridge, obviously was built in the 1930s

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and back then, as engineers,

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we did have a good understanding

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of what earthquake loads are like.

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This is one of the most advanced bridges

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in the world.

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Today we have a much better understanding of that

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and we have good understanding of ability to model these

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and analytically analyze them

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in terms of the forces and displacements.

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Nader and his team have designed a structure

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that looks like a regular suspension bridge

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but it's packed with life-saving innovations.

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Andrew Gordon, a manager on the project for five years,

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is familiar with its hidden inner workings.

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This is one of the most seismically advanced bridges

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in the world

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and it's been designed to withstand the largest possible

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ground motions from an earthquake

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within a 1500 year period.

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These internal tunnels will be key

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to the bridge's survival.

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People think of bridges probably being solid structures

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but there's actually these tunnels

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running through the bridge decks

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of the new east span and that's for routine maintenance,

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just ongoing upkeep of the bridge,

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but also in the event of an earthquake,

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workers can come inside and check for damage

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on the inside of the bridge as well as on the outside.

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Marwan and his team used computer models

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to predict where that damage might occur.

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The computer analysis that we did

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models the geometric stiffness of all the elements

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and all the forces and the stresses

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{\an8}and the strains are captured.

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{\an8}What we see here is what's going on

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{\an8}underneath the roadway where the expansion joints

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{\an8}are going going in and out, closing in and out,

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{\an8}about a meter, meter and a half,

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and this is the hinge pipe beam

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00:11:35,200 --> 00:11:38,020
that's keeping the two roadway structures together.

271
00:11:38,020 --> 00:11:41,110
They're basically large metal dowels

272
00:11:41,110 --> 00:11:43,360
and they're designed to act like the bumper on your car

273
00:11:43,360 --> 00:11:44,930
or even a lightening rod.

274
00:11:44,930 --> 00:11:45,770
They're designed to fail.

275
00:11:45,770 --> 00:11:49,330
They are here to absorb and take damage from the earthquake

276
00:11:49,330 --> 00:11:50,760
to protect the rest of the bridge.

277
00:11:50,760 --> 00:11:51,960
So, that's why these exist

278
00:11:51,960 --> 00:11:54,210
'cause these are easy to access, easy to fix.

279
00:11:55,230 --> 00:11:57,320
All of this hasn't come cheap.

280
00:11:57,320 --> 00:12:02,150
It's taken 15 years and cost $6.4 billion to build.

281
00:12:02,150 --> 00:12:05,550
But with human lives and city transport links at risk,

282
00:12:05,550 --> 00:12:07,620
it's money will spent.

283
00:12:07,620 --> 00:12:08,750
So much has been built in

284
00:12:08,750 --> 00:12:12,270
to assuring that this bridge can withstand

285
00:12:12,270 --> 00:12:13,190
any size earthquake,

286
00:12:13,190 --> 00:12:14,340
or at least the largest earthquake

287
00:12:14,340 --> 00:12:16,110
within a 1500 year period.

288
00:12:16,110 --> 00:12:17,694
So, again, if there is an earthquake,

289
00:12:17,694 --> 00:12:19,944
this is probably where you're gonna wanna be.

290
00:12:20,898 --> 00:12:21,920
(lively music)

291
00:12:21,920 --> 00:12:23,630
Most city bridges exist

292
00:12:23,630 --> 00:12:26,853
to allow huge numbers of cars to get into and out of them.

293
00:12:27,880 --> 00:12:29,350
Once in, sooner or later,

294
00:12:29,350 --> 00:12:31,133
the cars have to stop somewhere.

295
00:12:32,110 --> 00:12:33,850
One third of all city congestion

296
00:12:33,850 --> 00:12:35,870
is caused by people driving around,

297
00:12:35,870 --> 00:12:38,150
looking for parking spaces.

298
00:12:38,150 --> 00:12:40,113
It's a massive global problem.

299
00:12:41,530 --> 00:12:42,690
Here in Birmingham,

300
00:12:42,690 --> 00:12:44,530
in the industrial heart of England,

301
00:12:44,530 --> 00:12:47,163
engineers have come up with an ingenious solution.

302
00:12:48,130 --> 00:12:51,520
Up to 2,000 people live, work, or shop

303
00:12:51,520 --> 00:12:54,380
in the city center's Cube Building.

304
00:12:54,380 --> 00:12:56,060
Parking should be a nightmare,

305
00:12:56,060 --> 00:12:58,210
but thanks to revolutionary new technology,

306
00:12:58,210 --> 00:12:59,383
it's far from it.

307
00:13:00,740 --> 00:13:02,130
{\an8}The primary driver for us

308
00:13:02,130 --> 00:13:05,190
{\an8}was making sure that this building, at its base,

309
00:13:05,190 --> 00:13:07,910
had retail spaces and things other than

310
00:13:07,910 --> 00:13:09,843
a big car park entrance with a ramp.

311
00:13:10,950 --> 00:13:12,500
In conventional car parks,

312
00:13:12,500 --> 00:13:15,160
almost half the space is used for access

313
00:13:15,160 --> 00:13:16,730
rather than parking.

314
00:13:16,730 --> 00:13:20,320
So, the designers here did away with the ramp all together.

315
00:13:20,320 --> 00:13:22,833
The car park parks your car for you.

316
00:13:24,260 --> 00:13:25,640
Well, the car park here is a bit different

317
00:13:25,640 --> 00:13:27,950
from the traditional car parking system.

318
00:13:27,950 --> 00:13:30,170
You park in one of four garages,

319
00:13:30,170 --> 00:13:32,900
swipe your card, and then machines take your car away

320
00:13:32,900 --> 00:13:34,373
and park it for you.

321
00:13:35,230 --> 00:13:37,400
A robotic sensor checks that your car

322
00:13:37,400 --> 00:13:39,450
is in exactly the right position.

323
00:13:39,450 --> 00:13:41,800
Then a lift takes it to the parking level

324
00:13:46,420 --> 00:13:49,060
where it's spun through 180 degrees

325
00:13:49,060 --> 00:13:51,803
so it's ready to drive straight out on leaving,

326
00:13:53,320 --> 00:13:56,473
and transported safely to a parking space.

327
00:13:58,660 --> 00:14:01,970
More than 320 cars can fit into the limited space

328
00:14:01,970 --> 00:14:02,883
under the cube.

329
00:14:04,980 --> 00:14:07,840
This system is run entirely by computer

330
00:14:07,840 --> 00:14:11,660
requiring virtually no on-hand human supervision.

331
00:14:11,660 --> 00:14:13,590
Just two maintenance visits a month

332
00:14:13,590 --> 00:14:15,610
by specialist engineers.

333
00:14:15,610 --> 00:14:17,140
It's really good.

334
00:14:17,140 --> 00:14:19,590
This is the first one in the country of this size.

335
00:14:19,590 --> 00:14:22,863
{\an8}It's the first pilot lift system of this nature.

336
00:14:24,220 --> 00:14:25,820
The system runs itself pretty much.

337
00:14:25,820 --> 00:14:29,680
{\an8}It has no manned personnel at any time.

338
00:14:29,680 --> 00:14:31,980
{\an8}If there is any slight problems, they'll call us.

339
00:14:31,980 --> 00:14:33,617
And we can operate the system remotely

340
00:14:33,617 --> 00:14:35,920
and it's fully self sustaining.

341
00:14:35,920 --> 00:14:37,040
To retrieve your car,

342
00:14:37,040 --> 00:14:39,090
you simply swipe the card.

343
00:14:39,090 --> 00:14:42,450
The robotic lift collects it and brings it to you.

344
00:14:42,450 --> 00:14:45,760
Cities all over the world are starting to catch on.

345
00:14:45,760 --> 00:14:48,440
When we were researching this technology

346
00:14:48,440 --> 00:14:50,750
we went round places like Barcelona, Budapest,

347
00:14:50,750 --> 00:14:51,583
where they're used a lot.

348
00:14:51,583 --> 00:14:54,900
So, I think, because of the demand on city space,

349
00:14:54,900 --> 00:14:58,163
actually, that they will have to get used more and more.

350
00:15:00,250 --> 00:15:02,580
Robotic car parks may work to solve

351
00:15:02,580 --> 00:15:04,400
part of the problem,

352
00:15:04,400 --> 00:15:06,320
but the number of drivers on our streets

353
00:15:06,320 --> 00:15:08,853
is still increasing at a worrying rate.

354
00:15:11,480 --> 00:15:12,820
When the car was invented,

355
00:15:12,820 --> 00:15:16,000
it revolutionized the way we think about travel.

356
00:15:16,000 --> 00:15:18,900
There are now over a billion worldwide.

357
00:15:18,900 --> 00:15:22,040
They've become victims of their own success,

358
00:15:22,040 --> 00:15:23,750
especially in cities

359
00:15:23,750 --> 00:15:26,870
where people are becoming tired of their dominance.

360
00:15:26,870 --> 00:15:29,570
Metropolises, the big cities, they all have the problem,

361
00:15:29,570 --> 00:15:32,460
{\an8}the people are driving, one person in one car.

362
00:15:32,460 --> 00:15:35,750
{\an8}If you look at the statistics for London, for example,

363
00:15:35,750 --> 00:15:38,450
is like 1.2 persons per car

364
00:15:38,450 --> 00:15:39,963
and that's not sustainable.

365
00:15:41,580 --> 00:15:42,820
An extreme solution

366
00:15:42,820 --> 00:15:45,583
would be to banish the car from cities entirely.

367
00:15:47,030 --> 00:15:50,980
In Berlin, engineers think they have a better idea,

368
00:15:50,980 --> 00:15:54,650
to eradicate, not the car, but the driver.

369
00:15:54,650 --> 00:15:56,610
If cars drove themselves,

370
00:15:56,610 --> 00:15:59,780
more people would use them like taxis.

371
00:15:59,780 --> 00:16:01,430
There would be fewer on the roads

372
00:16:01,430 --> 00:16:03,483
and cities would flow more smoothly.

373
00:16:05,710 --> 00:16:08,673
Here, the driverless car is no sci-fi dream.

374
00:16:08,673 --> 00:16:11,053
It's on the road in the heart of the city.

375
00:16:11,930 --> 00:16:14,420
Today, safety driver, Fritz Ulbrich,

376
00:16:14,420 --> 00:16:16,590
and his co-pilot Sam Shaher,

377
00:16:16,590 --> 00:16:19,000
are test driving this revolutionary new vehicle

378
00:16:19,000 --> 00:16:23,170
in one of Berlin's busiest and more iconic locations,

379
00:16:23,170 --> 00:16:24,953
the Brandenburg Gate.

380
00:16:27,530 --> 00:16:30,490
Okay, then speed to one, go.

381
00:16:30,490 --> 00:16:32,930
And the car's driverless.

382
00:16:32,930 --> 00:16:34,620
I'm not touching anything at all,

383
00:16:34,620 --> 00:16:35,970
not the steering wheel,

384
00:16:35,970 --> 00:16:38,133
not the brake or the gas.

385
00:16:39,680 --> 00:16:41,660
This is a fully automated car

386
00:16:41,660 --> 00:16:45,660
that can see, think, and drive on its own.

387
00:16:45,660 --> 00:16:47,650
The onboard technology was devised

388
00:16:47,650 --> 00:16:51,700
by Berlin Free University's artificial intelligence expert,

389
00:16:51,700 --> 00:16:53,910
Raul Rojas.

390
00:16:53,910 --> 00:16:54,860
What you're are seeing here

391
00:16:54,860 --> 00:16:58,290
is the brain of the car, if you want.

392
00:16:58,290 --> 00:17:00,480
We have a GPS navigation unit.

393
00:17:00,480 --> 00:17:02,830
This is for locating the car in the city

394
00:17:02,830 --> 00:17:04,300
and knowing where it is.

395
00:17:04,300 --> 00:17:06,370
We have computers, several computers.

396
00:17:06,370 --> 00:17:09,120
This, for example, is for processing the video cameras.

397
00:17:09,120 --> 00:17:12,333
The laptop on the seat, that's the driver.

398
00:17:13,540 --> 00:17:16,110
The computer decides which is the best command,

399
00:17:16,110 --> 00:17:18,710
should I stop, should I accelerate,

400
00:17:18,710 --> 00:17:20,763
should I take the next corner?

401
00:17:21,900 --> 00:17:23,810
Putting a computer in the driver's seat

402
00:17:23,810 --> 00:17:26,383
could change urban car usage forever.

403
00:17:28,470 --> 00:17:31,040
You can go with several people at the same time

404
00:17:31,040 --> 00:17:32,480
so that nobody's driving,

405
00:17:32,480 --> 00:17:34,220
everybody's enjoying the ride

406
00:17:34,220 --> 00:17:35,620
and everybody's going faster

407
00:17:35,620 --> 00:17:39,640
because there will be less cars in the streets.

408
00:17:39,640 --> 00:17:42,930
It's a bold vision for the future of transport.

409
00:17:42,930 --> 00:17:45,180
Out on the road, the car is getting to grips

410
00:17:45,180 --> 00:17:46,470
with its surroundings,

411
00:17:46,470 --> 00:17:49,460
using a remarkable piece of technology.

412
00:17:49,460 --> 00:17:51,210
This is a very special laser scanner

413
00:17:51,210 --> 00:17:54,180
because it sends 64 rays of light

414
00:17:54,180 --> 00:17:55,770
to watch the environment.

415
00:17:55,770 --> 00:17:59,030
We get one million measurements per second

416
00:17:59,030 --> 00:18:00,670
of everything around the car,

417
00:18:00,670 --> 00:18:02,260
so that the computer can make

418
00:18:02,260 --> 00:18:04,960
a three dimensional reconstruction of the environment.

419
00:18:05,850 --> 00:18:09,060
All of which is fed into the central computer.

420
00:18:09,060 --> 00:18:11,460
What I can see on this display is actually

421
00:18:11,460 --> 00:18:16,230
a three dimensional view of the roads we're passing

422
00:18:16,230 --> 00:18:18,420
and the cars that are nearby.

423
00:18:18,420 --> 00:18:21,167
The ones that are interfering our plan

424
00:18:22,540 --> 00:18:25,920
are directly in front of us are marked in red.

425
00:18:25,920 --> 00:18:28,390
Sam keeps an eye on other vehicles.

426
00:18:28,390 --> 00:18:31,330
Not because the robotic car is unpredictable,

427
00:18:31,330 --> 00:18:33,950
but because his fellow humans are.

428
00:18:33,950 --> 00:18:36,160
There are many things that can go wrong in traffic

429
00:18:36,160 --> 00:18:39,080
because it depends not just on you,

430
00:18:39,080 --> 00:18:41,250
it depends on the rest of the drivers,

431
00:18:41,250 --> 00:18:42,500
that they keep the rules.

432
00:18:43,740 --> 00:18:46,660
Computers are very good at keeping the rules actually

433
00:18:46,660 --> 00:18:49,240
so they keep the lane, they keep the distance.

434
00:18:49,240 --> 00:18:52,660
Humans are not very good at obeying the rules.

435
00:18:52,660 --> 00:18:56,060
They always go into your way if they see that you leave

436
00:18:56,060 --> 00:18:59,460
a big gap in front of your car,

437
00:18:59,460 --> 00:19:01,193
then they try to occupy that gap.

438
00:19:02,970 --> 00:19:04,820
Fritz must remain alert.

439
00:19:06,400 --> 00:19:09,090
I still want to keep my hands close to the steering wheel

440
00:19:09,090 --> 00:19:10,620
because I'm the safety driver.

441
00:19:10,620 --> 00:19:12,700
I'm not here for fun.

442
00:19:12,700 --> 00:19:15,340
There's some situation where they could happen a crash,

443
00:19:15,340 --> 00:19:17,440
I have to take over control

444
00:19:17,440 --> 00:19:19,533
because we don't want to risk anything.

445
00:19:20,680 --> 00:19:22,430
As they get deeper into the city,

446
00:19:22,430 --> 00:19:24,930
the risk level increases.

447
00:19:24,930 --> 00:19:27,363
And I have to concentrate a little bit, so,

448
00:19:28,530 --> 00:19:31,800
watch if other cars come too close to us,

449
00:19:31,800 --> 00:19:32,633
like him.

450
00:19:34,420 --> 00:19:35,593
What is he doing?

451
00:19:36,720 --> 00:19:38,610
He was changing lanes without looking

452
00:19:38,610 --> 00:19:41,210
and turning on the turning signal.

453
00:19:41,210 --> 00:19:43,880
So, I took over control because I wasn't really sure

454
00:19:43,880 --> 00:19:45,743
if the car would have avoided it.

455
00:19:48,420 --> 00:19:50,060
There's a lot of responsibility

456
00:19:50,060 --> 00:19:52,050
on Fritz' shoulders.

457
00:19:52,050 --> 00:19:54,850
We always have a safety driver behind the steering wheel

458
00:19:54,850 --> 00:19:56,940
when we are driving, because this is a requirement

459
00:19:56,940 --> 00:19:58,750
from the City of Berlin.

460
00:19:58,750 --> 00:20:01,120
The person will not be doing anything,

461
00:20:01,120 --> 00:20:03,630
so we'll be just watching the car.

462
00:20:03,630 --> 00:20:04,920
Despite the dangers,

463
00:20:04,920 --> 00:20:07,620
this mass of moving cars and pedestrians

464
00:20:07,620 --> 00:20:10,330
is a perfect training ground for the development

465
00:20:10,330 --> 00:20:12,023
of driverless technology.

466
00:20:13,520 --> 00:20:15,930
But there's one familiar urban obstacle

467
00:20:15,930 --> 00:20:17,933
the car has yet to understand.

468
00:20:18,840 --> 00:20:19,893
Road works.

469
00:20:21,460 --> 00:20:24,410
Okay, right now we are in the middle of the city

470
00:20:24,410 --> 00:20:26,580
and right now I'm a little bit nervous

471
00:20:26,580 --> 00:20:28,893
because there's so many construction sites.

472
00:20:29,990 --> 00:20:31,460
And I have to take over control

473
00:20:31,460 --> 00:20:34,709
because this construction site here,

474
00:20:34,709 --> 00:20:37,020
because the car wants to go there.

475
00:20:37,020 --> 00:20:39,900
And it thinks there is a lane

476
00:20:39,900 --> 00:20:42,570
because in its map, there is a lane there.

477
00:20:42,570 --> 00:20:44,700
And it's occupied by construction site

478
00:20:44,700 --> 00:20:47,383
and the car does not know what to do.

479
00:20:48,850 --> 00:20:50,310
It's critical Fritz is able

480
00:20:50,310 --> 00:20:52,573
to take over at a moment's notice.

481
00:20:53,770 --> 00:20:55,530
The slightest collision could cause

482
00:20:55,530 --> 00:20:57,690
thousands of Euros worth of damage

483
00:20:57,690 --> 00:21:00,900
to the car's sensors and computer equipment.

484
00:21:00,900 --> 00:21:03,170
This is a very expensive car.

485
00:21:03,170 --> 00:21:05,320
The total cost, just of the car,

486
00:21:05,320 --> 00:21:07,600
is like 400,000 Euros,

487
00:21:07,600 --> 00:21:12,600
and we have put the work of 20 people over six years.

488
00:21:12,610 --> 00:21:14,160
Driving around road works

489
00:21:14,160 --> 00:21:17,240
may be a current challenge for the car navigation system,

490
00:21:17,240 --> 00:21:20,260
but the team is already working on a solution.

491
00:21:20,260 --> 00:21:22,420
Future research, we plan to address this

492
00:21:22,420 --> 00:21:25,570
by creating a dynamic map

493
00:21:25,570 --> 00:21:28,700
where informations like construction sites

494
00:21:30,510 --> 00:21:33,400
you get from other cars, from other drivers,

495
00:21:33,400 --> 00:21:35,030
over car to car communication,

496
00:21:35,030 --> 00:21:37,630
or from the construction site itself.

497
00:21:37,630 --> 00:21:39,320
Driving through busy traffic

498
00:21:39,320 --> 00:21:41,195
is one half of today's test.

499
00:21:41,195 --> 00:21:43,150
(energetic music)

500
00:21:43,150 --> 00:21:46,020
To develop the car's full driverless technology,

501
00:21:46,020 --> 00:21:48,010
the team's set up camp in the grounds

502
00:21:48,010 --> 00:21:50,593
of the now disused Tempelhof Airport.

503
00:21:51,680 --> 00:21:53,590
We need to test at Tempelhof Airport

504
00:21:53,590 --> 00:21:55,350
because it's a big space,

505
00:21:55,350 --> 00:21:57,603
there's nothing there so we can drive safely.

506
00:21:58,600 --> 00:22:00,820
Every piece of new technology is tested

507
00:22:00,820 --> 00:22:03,453
first in the computer and computer simulations,

508
00:22:05,260 --> 00:22:07,580
then it's tested in Tempelhof

509
00:22:07,580 --> 00:22:09,470
with no people, no cars,

510
00:22:09,470 --> 00:22:12,170
with just a big plain space.

511
00:22:12,170 --> 00:22:13,810
And then when we are confident,

512
00:22:13,810 --> 00:22:15,910
we go to the streets.

513
00:22:15,910 --> 00:22:18,060
This wide open space allows the car

514
00:22:18,060 --> 00:22:21,170
to drive at speed, enabling its software components

515
00:22:21,170 --> 00:22:22,220
to be tested.

516
00:22:22,220 --> 00:22:25,653
For today I think the testing was very successful.

517
00:22:27,500 --> 00:22:28,710
Unusually successful,

518
00:22:28,710 --> 00:22:31,740
but sometimes failure is success

519
00:22:31,740 --> 00:22:33,630
if you find the error.

520
00:22:33,630 --> 00:22:35,660
A few more years of development are likely

521
00:22:35,660 --> 00:22:38,623
before driverless cars will hit our roads for real.

522
00:22:39,460 --> 00:22:41,160
Everything we test very intensively

523
00:22:41,160 --> 00:22:45,890
because for getting this kind of technology on the road,

524
00:22:45,890 --> 00:22:48,940
for having it as a commercial product,

525
00:22:48,940 --> 00:22:53,090
you need to run thousands and even millions of kilometers

526
00:22:53,090 --> 00:22:56,290
on the streets, and then show that it's safe.

527
00:22:56,290 --> 00:22:57,740
But, for Rojas,

528
00:22:57,740 --> 00:22:59,880
the wait will have been worthwhile.

529
00:22:59,880 --> 00:23:01,930
Something that's going to transform the world,

530
00:23:01,930 --> 00:23:03,950
and it's something that's going to happen.

531
00:23:03,950 --> 00:23:06,073
It's not a dream, it's going to happen.

532
00:23:07,460 --> 00:23:08,720
Keeping traffic moving

533
00:23:08,720 --> 00:23:10,890
within cities is one thing,

534
00:23:10,890 --> 00:23:13,840
but as our world becomes more interconnected,

535
00:23:13,840 --> 00:23:15,950
high speed travel between cities

536
00:23:15,950 --> 00:23:18,340
is increasingly important.

537
00:23:18,340 --> 00:23:22,530
Spain's two biggest cities are Madrid and Barcelona.

538
00:23:22,530 --> 00:23:24,860
For years, overland travel between them

539
00:23:24,860 --> 00:23:27,150
took a whole day by train.

540
00:23:27,150 --> 00:23:29,353
So, people tended to fly instead.

541
00:23:30,200 --> 00:23:32,400
The communication between Madrid and Barcelona

542
00:23:32,400 --> 00:23:35,390
{\an8}was done mainly by plane

543
00:23:35,390 --> 00:23:38,770
{\an8}because we had what we call aerial bridge

544
00:23:38,770 --> 00:23:41,180
between Madrid and Barcelona.

545
00:23:41,180 --> 00:23:44,120
But air travel has a serious drawback.

546
00:23:44,120 --> 00:23:46,590
If you go to a plane, you have to wait,

547
00:23:46,590 --> 00:23:50,930
you have to go through different security controls

548
00:23:50,930 --> 00:23:52,560
and things like that.

549
00:23:52,560 --> 00:23:53,940
For business travelers,

550
00:23:53,940 --> 00:23:56,580
time wasted is money lost.

551
00:23:56,580 --> 00:23:58,500
We needed something more efficient.

552
00:23:58,500 --> 00:24:00,963
That something was high speed rail.

553
00:24:03,110 --> 00:24:06,140
Over 3.7 billion Euros were spent

554
00:24:06,140 --> 00:24:10,103
laying 804 kilometers of specialist train track.

555
00:24:11,170 --> 00:24:12,730
The trains that go on these tracks

556
00:24:12,730 --> 00:24:16,090
can travel at the speed of Formula 1 racing cars,

557
00:24:16,090 --> 00:24:18,553
making them some of the fastest in the world.

558
00:24:19,680 --> 00:24:24,376
Dozens depart each day from Barcelona's Sants Rail Station.

559
00:24:24,376 --> 00:24:28,043
{\an8}(Felix speaking in Spanish)

560
00:24:44,210 --> 00:24:46,280
Before high speed trains arrived,

561
00:24:46,280 --> 00:24:49,150
this journey took seven hours by rail.

562
00:24:49,150 --> 00:24:52,670
That time has been slashed to under 2.5 hours

563
00:24:52,670 --> 00:24:56,063
by trains that can travel at 300 kilometers an hour.

564
00:24:59,680 --> 00:25:01,680
Those speeds would be impossible

565
00:25:01,680 --> 00:25:03,860
if it weren't for the work done here,

566
00:25:03,860 --> 00:25:07,370
the Santa Catalina Rail Depot in Madrid.

567
00:25:07,370 --> 00:25:09,700
It's a maintenance hub for high speed trains

568
00:25:09,700 --> 00:25:11,000
on the network,

569
00:25:11,000 --> 00:25:13,473
and one of the biggest of its kind in Spain.

570
00:25:14,730 --> 00:25:18,640
Every night trains arrive for essential checks and repairs.

571
00:25:18,640 --> 00:25:21,070
But the engineers don't have long.

572
00:25:21,070 --> 00:25:23,180
Many of the trains have to be back on the tracks

573
00:25:23,180 --> 00:25:26,040
and transporting passengers by the morning.

574
00:25:26,040 --> 00:25:27,823
So, they work through the night.

575
00:25:29,260 --> 00:25:31,823
The wheels suffer greatest wear and tear.

576
00:25:33,430 --> 00:25:36,780
After it's been in a hot conduct with the track,

577
00:25:36,780 --> 00:25:38,320
what you need to do

578
00:25:38,320 --> 00:25:41,670
is to give it its original shape,

579
00:25:41,670 --> 00:25:44,820
{\an8}or giving it profile, that is how we call it,

580
00:25:44,820 --> 00:25:48,520
{\an8}so it can run smoothly over the track

581
00:25:48,520 --> 00:25:51,780
at speeds over 300 kilometers an hour.

582
00:25:51,780 --> 00:25:53,880
Imperfections in the shape of the wheels

583
00:25:53,880 --> 00:25:56,910
cause loads on the axle and suspension.

584
00:25:56,910 --> 00:25:59,280
So, there original shape has to be restored

585
00:25:59,280 --> 00:26:00,163
using a lathe.

586
00:26:01,060 --> 00:26:03,620
To save time, it's done on raised tracks

587
00:26:03,620 --> 00:26:06,180
without the need to remove the wheels.

588
00:26:06,180 --> 00:26:07,960
Before the train can leave,

589
00:26:07,960 --> 00:26:09,610
engineers also have to deal

590
00:26:09,610 --> 00:26:12,973
with its other major safety feature, the brakes.

591
00:26:14,010 --> 00:26:16,450
The train has two main braking systems.

592
00:26:16,450 --> 00:26:18,180
One is the electrical one

593
00:26:18,180 --> 00:26:21,590
and the other one is the mechanical one.

594
00:26:21,590 --> 00:26:23,860
Both systems must work together.

595
00:26:23,860 --> 00:26:25,830
The electrical brakes slow the train

596
00:26:25,830 --> 00:26:28,480
by reducing the energy emitted from the motor.

597
00:26:28,480 --> 00:26:30,600
But to halt the train completely,

598
00:26:30,600 --> 00:26:33,103
the mechanical brakes have to be employed.

599
00:26:34,530 --> 00:26:37,940
If the driver is using the mechanical braking system,

600
00:26:37,940 --> 00:26:39,460
these two pieces will come together

601
00:26:39,460 --> 00:26:41,930
and press the disk

602
00:26:41,930 --> 00:26:45,450
and take the train to a complete stop.

603
00:26:45,450 --> 00:26:46,530
This takes its toll

604
00:26:46,530 --> 00:26:48,340
on the pads and brake discs.

605
00:26:48,340 --> 00:26:50,570
So, they have to be checked frequently.

606
00:26:50,570 --> 00:26:52,040
Normally, to take out the brake pads,

607
00:26:52,040 --> 00:26:54,100
it will take five minutes

608
00:26:54,100 --> 00:26:56,700
but then if you have to take the whole disc out,

609
00:26:56,700 --> 00:26:59,370
it will be a major operation.

610
00:26:59,370 --> 00:27:01,090
The effort is essential

611
00:27:01,090 --> 00:27:02,870
as it's these brakes that will be needed

612
00:27:02,870 --> 00:27:05,920
if the train has to make an emergency stop.

613
00:27:05,920 --> 00:27:09,360
An emergency stop can happen at any speed of the train

614
00:27:09,360 --> 00:27:11,040
even at 300 kilometers an hour,

615
00:27:11,040 --> 00:27:15,220
so that will be one of the hardest braking situations

616
00:27:15,220 --> 00:27:17,220
that the system will have to go through.

617
00:27:18,340 --> 00:27:20,120
Thankfully for tonight's engineers,

618
00:27:20,120 --> 00:27:23,130
it's just pads that need to be replaced.

619
00:27:23,130 --> 00:27:24,530
They're able to finish work

620
00:27:24,530 --> 00:27:26,143
before the morning deadline.

621
00:27:27,430 --> 00:27:29,470
Spain's high speed rail passengers

622
00:27:29,470 --> 00:27:31,113
are on track for another day.

623
00:27:33,390 --> 00:27:35,380
Trains travel from city to city

624
00:27:35,380 --> 00:27:37,950
at record-breaking speeds.

625
00:27:37,950 --> 00:27:39,960
When they get to their destination,

626
00:27:39,960 --> 00:27:42,250
modern stations need to be able to cope

627
00:27:42,250 --> 00:27:45,640
with increased journeys and more passengers.

628
00:27:45,640 --> 00:27:48,500
In Sweden, Stockholm's main railway station

629
00:27:48,500 --> 00:27:53,330
was built in 1871 to accommodate 10 trains per day.

630
00:27:53,330 --> 00:27:57,650
Its two lines now serve 550 trains.

631
00:27:57,650 --> 00:28:01,713
230,000 commuters pour into the city every morning.

632
00:28:03,310 --> 00:28:04,460
But there's a problem.

633
00:28:04,460 --> 00:28:06,873
The station is one giant bottleneck.

634
00:28:08,220 --> 00:28:09,700
All southern commuter trains

635
00:28:09,700 --> 00:28:13,200
pile into the city on the same two lines.

636
00:28:13,200 --> 00:28:15,500
Engineers are under extreme pressure

637
00:28:15,500 --> 00:28:17,800
to create extra rail capacity,

638
00:28:17,800 --> 00:28:21,100
and the only place to do it is underground.

639
00:28:21,100 --> 00:28:24,600
Tunneling beneath Stockholm is a mammoth task.

640
00:28:24,600 --> 00:28:28,560
The city sits on a bed of two billion year old granite rock.

641
00:28:28,560 --> 00:28:30,630
So, Lars Osterlind and his team

642
00:28:30,630 --> 00:28:32,530
are having to blast their way through it

643
00:28:32,530 --> 00:28:34,450
meter by meter.

644
00:28:34,450 --> 00:28:36,650
We are blasting about every four meters

645
00:28:36,650 --> 00:28:39,350
and we have six kilometers of tunnels

646
00:28:39,350 --> 00:28:41,590
that we are excavating.

647
00:28:41,590 --> 00:28:43,710
We have two tunnels, calculate this together,

648
00:28:43,710 --> 00:28:45,090
it gets a lot of blasts.

649
00:28:45,090 --> 00:28:49,302
Well we do over 7,000 of blasts over the whole project.

650
00:28:49,302 --> 00:28:51,490
(soft music)

651
00:28:51,490 --> 00:28:52,720
The project is known

652
00:28:52,720 --> 00:28:55,400
as the Stockholm City Line.

653
00:28:55,400 --> 00:28:59,040
Six kilometers of new line running 10 to 40 meters

654
00:28:59,040 --> 00:29:01,130
under the city streets.

655
00:29:01,130 --> 00:29:04,890
When finished, it will double the city's rail capacity.

656
00:29:04,890 --> 00:29:06,240
To complete the project,

657
00:29:06,240 --> 00:29:09,380
tunnel workers must remove over a million cubic meters

658
00:29:09,380 --> 00:29:13,450
of material, enough to fill up 30 skyscrapers.

659
00:29:13,450 --> 00:29:15,600
And they don't have long to do it.

660
00:29:15,600 --> 00:29:19,300
The line must be up and running by 2017.

661
00:29:19,300 --> 00:29:21,110
To get it done quickly and safely,

662
00:29:21,110 --> 00:29:22,990
the explosives team is using a mix

663
00:29:22,990 --> 00:29:25,730
of ammonium nitrate, oil, and water.

664
00:29:25,730 --> 00:29:28,373
When mixed together, they become highly explosive.

665
00:29:29,750 --> 00:29:31,330
Right now, behind me here,

666
00:29:31,330 --> 00:29:34,730
we have the equipment for the emulsion

667
00:29:34,730 --> 00:29:36,310
where the explosives are mixed.

668
00:29:36,310 --> 00:29:38,080
Therefore, the track behind me

669
00:29:38,080 --> 00:29:42,470
is working out as a small factory for explosives.

670
00:29:42,470 --> 00:29:44,950
Precision is everything.

671
00:29:44,950 --> 00:29:48,070
If you don't get the right density of the explosives,

672
00:29:48,070 --> 00:29:50,430
you can't ignite it, it doesn't work.

673
00:29:50,430 --> 00:29:52,690
The moment, the correct proportions are mixed,

674
00:29:52,690 --> 00:29:55,710
the emulsion becomes highly explosive.

675
00:29:55,710 --> 00:29:57,290
The team has to work fast,

676
00:29:57,290 --> 00:29:59,610
but they can't afford to rush.

677
00:29:59,610 --> 00:30:02,840
Any mistakes now could easily prove fatal.

678
00:30:02,840 --> 00:30:05,220
Preparation is painstaking.

679
00:30:05,220 --> 00:30:06,623
The whole process of this,

680
00:30:07,470 --> 00:30:09,683
the drilling takes about three hours to do.

681
00:30:10,630 --> 00:30:12,510
Afterwards, we do the charging work

682
00:30:12,510 --> 00:30:15,620
and that takes us about two hours.

683
00:30:15,620 --> 00:30:19,270
Five hours in total to set up each blast.

684
00:30:19,270 --> 00:30:22,330
300 kilograms of explosive are carefully pumped

685
00:30:22,330 --> 00:30:25,513
into 100 holes drilled into the rock face.

686
00:30:26,700 --> 00:30:29,260
While Lars and his team place the charges,

687
00:30:29,260 --> 00:30:30,900
another crew is hard at work

688
00:30:30,900 --> 00:30:32,943
in the tunnels already blasted.

689
00:30:35,217 --> 00:30:37,690
(lively music)

690
00:30:37,690 --> 00:30:39,600
Peter Dahl is the project manager

691
00:30:39,600 --> 00:30:42,210
in charge of turning this subterranean cave

692
00:30:42,210 --> 00:30:44,570
into a working station.

693
00:30:44,570 --> 00:30:46,923
We are in the middle of the new station.

694
00:30:47,760 --> 00:30:50,200
Basically, we're standing at the platform

695
00:30:50,200 --> 00:30:54,200
and around us, on that side and on that side,

696
00:30:54,200 --> 00:30:56,790
we are going to have the trains.

697
00:30:56,790 --> 00:30:58,140
One of the biggest challenges

698
00:30:58,140 --> 00:31:01,840
is to build concrete walls to cover the rock face.

699
00:31:01,840 --> 00:31:04,540
We have about 30,000 rock walls.

700
00:31:04,540 --> 00:31:07,760
We have concreting works to the scale

701
00:31:07,760 --> 00:31:11,370
of 30,000 cubic meter of concrete.

702
00:31:11,370 --> 00:31:14,060
Workers just create a timber framed mold

703
00:31:14,060 --> 00:31:17,180
into which the liquid concrete will be poured.

704
00:31:17,180 --> 00:31:20,610
After that, we have to put in all the escalators.

705
00:31:20,610 --> 00:31:23,180
There are roughly about 50 escalators,

706
00:31:23,180 --> 00:31:28,180
all the details, finishing works, electrical cabling,

707
00:31:28,340 --> 00:31:30,530
ventilation systems.

708
00:31:30,530 --> 00:31:33,090
Escalators will link the new commuter lines

709
00:31:33,090 --> 00:31:35,460
with the existing metro system.

710
00:31:35,460 --> 00:31:37,280
When finished, this station will be

711
00:31:37,280 --> 00:31:41,120
one of two brand new hubs servicing the new City Line.

712
00:31:41,120 --> 00:31:43,770
Although we are now in the middle of the project,

713
00:31:43,770 --> 00:31:46,140
we still have a lot of work to do.

714
00:31:46,140 --> 00:31:48,530
Peter's job is made even more challenging

715
00:31:48,530 --> 00:31:50,560
by the project's location,

716
00:31:50,560 --> 00:31:53,970
right below Stockholm's bustling city center.

717
00:31:53,970 --> 00:31:57,410
There are a lot of restrictions.

718
00:31:57,410 --> 00:32:00,500
We have to be within the noise levels.

719
00:32:00,500 --> 00:32:03,660
We have to be within the vibration levels.

720
00:32:03,660 --> 00:32:05,330
And there are many other factors

721
00:32:05,330 --> 00:32:06,610
that we have to be within,

722
00:32:06,610 --> 00:32:09,640
when we're working in the middle of a town like this.

723
00:32:09,640 --> 00:32:12,680
Such restrictions make the 2017 deadline

724
00:32:12,680 --> 00:32:14,860
even harder to hit.

725
00:32:14,860 --> 00:32:16,470
They've brought in a team of workers

726
00:32:16,470 --> 00:32:17,780
from all over the world

727
00:32:17,780 --> 00:32:20,830
to join the 2,000-strong ground crew,

728
00:32:20,830 --> 00:32:23,560
including New Zealander, Luke Harris.

729
00:32:23,560 --> 00:32:24,997
There's a series of different people

730
00:32:24,997 --> 00:32:25,830
that are working here.

731
00:32:25,830 --> 00:32:27,810
So we do the ground works,

732
00:32:27,810 --> 00:32:29,153
other guys do explosives.

733
00:32:30,344 --> 00:32:33,070
Other people do the concrete and spraying across the roof.

734
00:32:33,070 --> 00:32:34,920
So, yeah, we basically work with the machines

735
00:32:34,920 --> 00:32:37,490
and excavators and just do the ground works.

736
00:32:37,490 --> 00:32:39,380
Today, he's helping fit a man hole

737
00:32:39,380 --> 00:32:42,003
which will form part of the station's drainage system.

738
00:32:42,003 --> 00:32:43,440
There's a lot of other things

739
00:32:43,440 --> 00:32:46,290
that are gonna come in on top of what we've done.

740
00:32:46,290 --> 00:32:47,830
And obviously, if it's not correct,

741
00:32:47,830 --> 00:32:52,830
then it has to be taken up and dug up and fixed.

742
00:32:53,100 --> 00:32:55,160
When working to a schedule this tight,

743
00:32:55,160 --> 00:32:57,650
any mistakes can be hugely costly.

744
00:32:57,650 --> 00:32:59,493
There's no margin for error.

745
00:33:00,580 --> 00:33:01,740
Back at the rock face,

746
00:33:01,740 --> 00:33:03,230
Lars and his team have set

747
00:33:03,230 --> 00:33:06,640
300 kilograms of charged explosives.

748
00:33:06,640 --> 00:33:08,010
The moment they're ready,

749
00:33:08,010 --> 00:33:10,410
the area is evacuated.

750
00:33:10,410 --> 00:33:13,170
Now everyone has to move out of this tunnel

751
00:33:13,170 --> 00:33:16,410
and get rid of the equipment out of here.

752
00:33:16,410 --> 00:33:18,060
The moment of truth.

753
00:33:21,275 --> 00:33:23,942
(horn blasting)

754
00:33:28,889 --> 00:33:31,889
(explosion booming)

755
00:33:41,270 --> 00:33:43,340
The blast is a success,

756
00:33:43,340 --> 00:33:47,300
bringing the project four meters closer to completion.

757
00:33:47,300 --> 00:33:48,970
There's still some way to go.

758
00:33:48,970 --> 00:33:50,410
So, for Lars and his team,

759
00:33:50,410 --> 00:33:53,060
there's no time to relax just yet.

760
00:33:53,060 --> 00:33:54,960
This was the last blast for today.

761
00:33:54,960 --> 00:33:57,660
And tomorrow we continue in the same way.

762
00:33:57,660 --> 00:33:59,440
Stockholm's transport crisis

763
00:33:59,440 --> 00:34:01,770
is a clash of modern commuter needs

764
00:34:01,770 --> 00:34:04,030
and an aging infrastructure.

765
00:34:04,030 --> 00:34:06,320
Many cities worldwide have the same problem

766
00:34:06,320 --> 00:34:08,203
and are having to find solutions.

767
00:34:09,060 --> 00:34:11,000
But not everywhere can dig out

768
00:34:11,000 --> 00:34:13,660
a giant new underground network.

769
00:34:13,660 --> 00:34:16,203
Elsewhere, they're turning to technology.

770
00:34:17,700 --> 00:34:19,570
(uptempo music)

771
00:34:19,570 --> 00:34:23,010
Today, there are more than a billion cars in the world,

772
00:34:23,010 --> 00:34:26,323
afflicting our cities with a global congestion crisis.

773
00:34:27,770 --> 00:34:29,100
This is London,

774
00:34:29,100 --> 00:34:32,620
one of the most modern urban environments in the world.

775
00:34:32,620 --> 00:34:34,500
But, like older cities everywhere,

776
00:34:34,500 --> 00:34:37,130
it has one thing that's stuck in the past,

777
00:34:37,130 --> 00:34:38,920
its roads.

778
00:34:38,920 --> 00:34:41,700
London, unlike other cities,

779
00:34:41,700 --> 00:34:44,090
wasn't designed for the motor vehicle.

780
00:34:44,090 --> 00:34:46,523
We're still in the horse and cart era.

781
00:34:48,130 --> 00:34:50,430
The city's aging road infrastructure

782
00:34:50,430 --> 00:34:52,460
means chronic congestion,

783
00:34:52,460 --> 00:34:54,863
costing the city billions of pounds.

784
00:34:55,740 --> 00:34:57,250
The stakes are so high

785
00:34:57,250 --> 00:34:59,420
that authorities have created a specialist,

786
00:34:59,420 --> 00:35:01,740
high tech traffic control center,

787
00:35:01,740 --> 00:35:03,603
headed up by John Tenton.

788
00:35:06,240 --> 00:35:07,670
If we didn't exist,

789
00:35:07,670 --> 00:35:10,420
London would definitely grind to a halt.

790
00:35:10,420 --> 00:35:14,510
As a control center, we work 24/7.

791
00:35:14,510 --> 00:35:16,030
I don't think people realize this.

792
00:35:16,030 --> 00:35:18,990
There are people in here all day, all night,

793
00:35:18,990 --> 00:35:20,800
monitoring the traffic flow.

794
00:35:20,800 --> 00:35:23,670
1200 cameras, located around the city,

795
00:35:23,670 --> 00:35:25,860
give its controllers a bird's eye view

796
00:35:25,860 --> 00:35:28,040
of every critical junction,

797
00:35:28,040 --> 00:35:30,360
enabling them to spot traffic incidents

798
00:35:30,360 --> 00:35:31,720
as they happen.

799
00:35:31,720 --> 00:35:33,860
A broken down vehicle, that's all it takes.

800
00:35:33,860 --> 00:35:35,610
Or there's a slight accident,

801
00:35:35,610 --> 00:35:37,640
or there's some form of incident

802
00:35:37,640 --> 00:35:40,173
that stops the free movement of the traffic.

803
00:35:42,170 --> 00:35:44,230
Today, Kenny Malin is on duty

804
00:35:44,230 --> 00:35:48,661
as a chaotic situation begins to unfold in central London.

805
00:35:48,661 --> 00:35:50,923
At the moment, we got a major problem at Victoria.

806
00:35:50,923 --> 00:35:52,490
It's a burst water main,

807
00:35:52,490 --> 00:35:55,110
so a crack in the road, or a burst water main

808
00:35:55,110 --> 00:35:57,270
going underneath and they got to repair it.

809
00:35:57,270 --> 00:35:59,070
So, closing the road for two to three days

810
00:35:59,070 --> 00:36:00,093
to repair the main.

811
00:36:01,290 --> 00:36:03,400
Roadworks are one of the major causes

812
00:36:03,400 --> 00:36:05,600
of congestion in modern cities.

813
00:36:05,600 --> 00:36:08,450
Work here in Victoria is having a knock-on effect,

814
00:36:08,450 --> 00:36:11,160
causing gridlock through neighboring areas.

815
00:36:11,160 --> 00:36:13,790
And it has a rather large impact.

816
00:36:13,790 --> 00:36:15,650
I'll just show you on the map here what happens.

817
00:36:15,650 --> 00:36:17,930
There's the Victoria area there,

818
00:36:17,930 --> 00:36:20,360
but anything effecting that area there

819
00:36:20,360 --> 00:36:21,920
will also effect Hyde Park corner,

820
00:36:21,920 --> 00:36:23,503
also effect Marble Arch.

821
00:36:24,660 --> 00:36:25,930
Kenny and the controllers

822
00:36:25,930 --> 00:36:29,293
have a long day ahead, trying to keep a lid on the chaos.

823
00:36:30,210 --> 00:36:33,340
Out on the street, project manager Felicity Luckett

824
00:36:33,340 --> 00:36:36,740
and her team are hoping a brand new piece of technology

825
00:36:36,740 --> 00:36:38,560
can help ease the pressure.

826
00:36:38,560 --> 00:36:40,080
This is a magnetometer.

827
00:36:40,080 --> 00:36:41,960
It's an in-road vehicle detector

828
00:36:41,960 --> 00:36:44,500
which we put in the middle of the carriage way.

829
00:36:44,500 --> 00:36:47,480
It works by measuring the magnetic field

830
00:36:47,480 --> 00:36:49,690
and detects changes in the magnetic field

831
00:36:49,690 --> 00:36:53,890
when metal objects such as cars and buses pass over it.

832
00:36:53,890 --> 00:36:56,460
These new units work wirelessly,

833
00:36:56,460 --> 00:36:59,240
making the devices faster and easier to install

834
00:36:59,240 --> 00:37:02,260
than any other traffic detection system.

835
00:37:02,260 --> 00:37:04,440
A single eight-centimeter hole in the road

836
00:37:04,440 --> 00:37:05,900
is all that's needed.

837
00:37:05,900 --> 00:37:08,860
Once installed, the sensor will help the traffic signal

838
00:37:08,860 --> 00:37:11,460
make decisions about when to change the lights

839
00:37:11,460 --> 00:37:13,150
from red to green.

840
00:37:13,150 --> 00:37:15,380
Cities around the world are experimenting

841
00:37:15,380 --> 00:37:17,070
with smart technology systems,

842
00:37:17,070 --> 00:37:19,250
but none quite like this.

843
00:37:19,250 --> 00:37:20,850
It improves traffic flow

844
00:37:20,850 --> 00:37:22,650
because if we didn't have this information

845
00:37:22,650 --> 00:37:24,300
it would be on a fixed plan

846
00:37:24,300 --> 00:37:25,780
and not be able to react at all

847
00:37:25,780 --> 00:37:27,770
to changing traffic conditions.

848
00:37:27,770 --> 00:37:29,990
And so you'd spend a lot longer

849
00:37:29,990 --> 00:37:31,640
waiting around at traffic lights.

850
00:37:32,520 --> 00:37:33,960
Tests show that the system

851
00:37:33,960 --> 00:37:37,030
can reduce delays by up to 20%,

852
00:37:37,030 --> 00:37:39,450
so London is rushing to extend the program

853
00:37:39,450 --> 00:37:40,580
as fast as possible

854
00:37:40,580 --> 00:37:44,030
to all the city's 6,000 traffic signals.

855
00:37:44,030 --> 00:37:47,210
Engineers like Nick Ames have their work cut out for them.

856
00:37:47,210 --> 00:37:50,090
I've probably done in the last few months, 100.

857
00:37:50,090 --> 00:37:51,947
We have a batch of maybe 40 to do

858
00:37:51,947 --> 00:37:54,533
and they usually give us a week or so to do it.

859
00:37:55,550 --> 00:37:56,790
Working at some of London's

860
00:37:56,790 --> 00:37:58,200
busiest traffic spots,

861
00:37:58,200 --> 00:38:01,023
it's essential he remains alert at all times.

862
00:38:02,320 --> 00:38:03,650
You got to keep your wits about you most the time.

863
00:38:03,650 --> 00:38:07,090
The traffic is, yeah, it's the main thing.

864
00:38:07,090 --> 00:38:08,890
You gotta watch out for the traffic quite a lot.

865
00:38:08,890 --> 00:38:12,240
People go more faster than you would've thought in a city.

866
00:38:12,240 --> 00:38:13,530
Long-term, they hope

867
00:38:13,530 --> 00:38:15,330
this will keep traffic moving.

868
00:38:15,330 --> 00:38:17,110
But short-term, Nick and his team

869
00:38:17,110 --> 00:38:19,090
have become part of the problem.

870
00:38:19,090 --> 00:38:21,850
We gotta open up the bus stop again

871
00:38:21,850 --> 00:38:23,450
because the people are coming down to do the buses.

872
00:38:23,450 --> 00:38:25,806
So, we're gonna have to be pretty quick on this one,

873
00:38:25,806 --> 00:38:26,639
I think.

874
00:38:26,639 --> 00:38:28,120
With rush hour almost upon him,

875
00:38:28,120 --> 00:38:30,956
Nick just manages to finish the job in time.

876
00:38:30,956 --> 00:38:31,789
We gotta get going

877
00:38:31,789 --> 00:38:32,622
because we got another three or four today,

878
00:38:32,622 --> 00:38:34,900
but loads still in the pipeline to do.

879
00:38:34,900 --> 00:38:37,180
Smart traffic control devices like this

880
00:38:37,180 --> 00:38:39,590
are being rolled out across the world.

881
00:38:39,590 --> 00:38:41,370
But, in a crisis situation,

882
00:38:41,370 --> 00:38:44,423
there's still no substitute for human intervention.

883
00:38:46,510 --> 00:38:48,400
Back in the traffic control center,

884
00:38:48,400 --> 00:38:50,850
Kenny is still battling with the burst water main

885
00:38:50,850 --> 00:38:53,770
that's wreaking havoc on the city's roads.

886
00:38:53,770 --> 00:38:55,950
He relies on something that other Londoners

887
00:38:55,950 --> 00:38:57,940
can only dream of,

888
00:38:57,940 --> 00:39:01,390
the ability to turn the traffic lights green.

889
00:39:01,390 --> 00:39:02,870
Kenny's colleague, Steve Gilmore,

890
00:39:02,870 --> 00:39:05,893
will have to use that power to keep the city moving.

891
00:39:06,830 --> 00:39:08,580
The timings on that were low.

892
00:39:08,580 --> 00:39:11,020
So, now I've gone from nine seconds

893
00:39:11,020 --> 00:39:12,910
up to 42 seconds green.

894
00:39:12,910 --> 00:39:14,900
That enables the eastbound traffic

895
00:39:14,900 --> 00:39:17,310
to have more time to flow out.

896
00:39:17,310 --> 00:39:18,800
The ability to manipulate

897
00:39:18,800 --> 00:39:20,210
traffic signals remotely

898
00:39:20,210 --> 00:39:23,760
has helped Steve avert a full-blown crisis.

899
00:39:23,760 --> 00:39:26,360
Control centers like this are helping traffic flow

900
00:39:26,360 --> 00:39:28,113
in cities around the world.

901
00:39:29,320 --> 00:39:32,350
But if city authorities are going to deal long-term

902
00:39:32,350 --> 00:39:34,000
with the congestion crisis,

903
00:39:34,000 --> 00:39:36,010
they need to find ways to get people

904
00:39:36,010 --> 00:39:37,873
out of their cars entirely.

905
00:39:39,050 --> 00:39:41,130
We can't deny that we got congestion problems

906
00:39:41,130 --> 00:39:42,330
as all major cities have.

907
00:39:42,330 --> 00:39:44,870
So, if we're taking traffic off the road,

908
00:39:44,870 --> 00:39:45,780
we're helping congestion,

909
00:39:45,780 --> 00:39:48,030
we're helping everybody to get around easier.

910
00:39:49,010 --> 00:39:52,730
In July, 2010, London launched a pilot scheme

911
00:39:52,730 --> 00:39:55,290
aimed at swapping the city's mode of transport

912
00:39:55,290 --> 00:39:56,930
from four wheels to two

913
00:39:57,820 --> 00:40:01,220
by providing bicycles for easy, immediate hire

914
00:40:01,220 --> 00:40:03,150
around the capital.

915
00:40:03,150 --> 00:40:05,950
{\an8}The idea of the scheme is for short journeys.

916
00:40:05,950 --> 00:40:09,290
{\an8}It's to get people off the buses, off the tubes,

917
00:40:09,290 --> 00:40:12,540
{\an8}and to try and ease congestion on the roads.

918
00:40:12,540 --> 00:40:14,020
The scheme has sparked off

919
00:40:14,020 --> 00:40:15,733
a cycling revolution.

920
00:40:17,060 --> 00:40:20,080
There are now 9,000 bikes available for use

921
00:40:20,080 --> 00:40:24,137
at 450 docking stations around the city.

922
00:40:24,137 --> 00:40:25,650
It's a scheme that works.

923
00:40:25,650 --> 00:40:26,530
23 million trips.

924
00:40:26,530 --> 00:40:29,180
People aren't gonna use the scheme if it didn't work.

925
00:40:30,950 --> 00:40:32,750
But the scheme's increasing success

926
00:40:32,750 --> 00:40:36,293
brings with it a responsibility to keep more people safe.

927
00:40:37,250 --> 00:40:40,343
One defective bike could put lives in danger.

928
00:40:43,930 --> 00:40:45,907
It sounds simple, but it's an awful lot of work

929
00:40:45,907 --> 00:40:48,270
and a very big workforce behind it.

930
00:40:48,270 --> 00:40:49,710
There's always a certain number of bikes

931
00:40:49,710 --> 00:40:51,290
that are coming in to repair

932
00:40:51,290 --> 00:40:53,060
because just the general maintenance.

933
00:40:53,060 --> 00:40:55,873
And every bike also gets a service at least once a year.

934
00:40:57,040 --> 00:40:59,440
Part of this critical maintenance workforce

935
00:40:59,440 --> 00:41:03,610
is based here, at the main bike depot in north London,

936
00:41:03,610 --> 00:41:05,400
one of several maintenance depots

937
00:41:05,400 --> 00:41:07,840
located throughout the city.

938
00:41:07,840 --> 00:41:10,710
Here, defective bikes arrive in lorry loads

939
00:41:10,710 --> 00:41:13,840
and into the hands of Turan Hasan,

940
00:41:13,840 --> 00:41:15,720
one of the depot's mechanics

941
00:41:15,720 --> 00:41:19,560
whose job it is to restore a bike to working order.

942
00:41:19,560 --> 00:41:22,213
But first, he has to find out what the problem is.

943
00:41:23,410 --> 00:41:24,980
Everything that is dangerous,

944
00:41:24,980 --> 00:41:27,080
you've got to do, you have to do, you know?

945
00:41:27,080 --> 00:41:29,770
If it's cosmetic, then okay, that's not too bad,

946
00:41:29,770 --> 00:41:33,020
but brakes, gear changes, buckled wheels,

947
00:41:33,020 --> 00:41:36,170
something that's gonna cause you to have an accident,

948
00:41:36,170 --> 00:41:37,370
you have to change.

949
00:41:37,370 --> 00:41:40,580
You know, you can't just bypass stuff like that.

950
00:41:40,580 --> 00:41:42,640
But one of the first things Turan checks

951
00:41:42,640 --> 00:41:44,133
is if the bike is true.

952
00:41:45,330 --> 00:41:48,280
True means it's balanced, it's not wobbling.

953
00:41:48,280 --> 00:41:49,780
Sometimes as you're going

954
00:41:49,780 --> 00:41:51,050
up on the curbs or whatever,

955
00:41:51,050 --> 00:41:53,460
it can take the balance out of them.

956
00:41:54,881 --> 00:41:56,453
Well, you get buckled wheels,

957
00:41:57,800 --> 00:42:00,543
broken spokes, cables,

958
00:42:00,543 --> 00:42:01,823
and you check the gears.

959
00:42:01,823 --> 00:42:04,610
Just going up in the gears first,

960
00:42:04,610 --> 00:42:06,087
second, third.

961
00:42:07,250 --> 00:42:08,950
Yeah, that looks true.

962
00:42:08,950 --> 00:42:10,100
But with a guarantee

963
00:42:10,100 --> 00:42:11,820
to keep a certain number of bikes

964
00:42:11,820 --> 00:42:14,020
always available at docking stations,

965
00:42:14,020 --> 00:42:16,640
Turan and his team must work around the clock

966
00:42:16,640 --> 00:42:18,350
to carry out repairs.

967
00:42:18,350 --> 00:42:20,700
You try to average about six or seven bikes a day,

968
00:42:20,700 --> 00:42:23,090
depending on what's wrong with them.

969
00:42:23,090 --> 00:42:24,920
I mean, some mechanics are really fast,

970
00:42:24,920 --> 00:42:27,370
I mean, if the bikes aren't too complicated,

971
00:42:27,370 --> 00:42:30,430
they can knock out about eight, 10, 12 bikes a day,

972
00:42:30,430 --> 00:42:32,200
which is not bad going.

973
00:42:32,200 --> 00:42:33,900
But if you got hard bikes,

974
00:42:33,900 --> 00:42:37,057
you will be getting about six to seven bikes a day.

975
00:42:38,810 --> 00:42:39,920
This group of bikes

976
00:42:39,920 --> 00:42:41,250
may be newly restored,

977
00:42:41,250 --> 00:42:43,800
but it's only half the battle.

978
00:42:43,800 --> 00:42:46,420
Another team of hidden heroes, like van driver,

979
00:42:46,420 --> 00:42:49,380
Mohammed Muhith, is out on the street topping up

980
00:42:49,380 --> 00:42:51,180
the network's docking stations

981
00:42:51,180 --> 00:42:53,003
with newly serviced bikes.

982
00:42:54,030 --> 00:42:56,520
It's a physically demanding job.

983
00:42:56,520 --> 00:42:58,838
Well, basically, it keeps me fit.

984
00:42:58,838 --> 00:43:02,140
I push about probably 80 to 100 bikes a day.

985
00:43:02,140 --> 00:43:03,740
And I enjoy it.

986
00:43:03,740 --> 00:43:04,793
It's a good workout.

987
00:43:06,640 --> 00:43:07,570
It'll be quicker.

988
00:43:07,570 --> 00:43:08,403
You are going fast,

989
00:43:08,403 --> 00:43:10,727
you are going to errand there quicker than cars,

990
00:43:10,727 --> 00:43:12,550
you have to wait in traffic.

991
00:43:12,550 --> 00:43:14,020
I mean, there's cycle lanes,

992
00:43:14,020 --> 00:43:16,376
so that's even quicker now.

993
00:43:16,376 --> 00:43:18,928
And it's improving, so it's green, ain't it?

994
00:43:18,928 --> 00:43:21,396
London's going greener.

995
00:43:21,396 --> 00:43:22,960
Helps you get around easier,

996
00:43:22,960 --> 00:43:24,890
quicker and with less congestion.

997
00:43:24,890 --> 00:43:26,350
If we could all do some of that,

998
00:43:26,350 --> 00:43:29,060
and you get the health benefits,

999
00:43:29,060 --> 00:43:30,010
what's not to like?

1000
00:43:30,920 --> 00:43:32,490
This scheme could bring relief

1001
00:43:32,490 --> 00:43:34,593
to the troubling congestion in London.

1002
00:43:39,850 --> 00:43:41,760
But many think the real answer lies

1003
00:43:41,760 --> 00:43:43,153
in mass transit.

1004
00:43:44,090 --> 00:43:48,490
6.5 million bus journeys are made in the capital each day.

1005
00:43:48,490 --> 00:43:51,193
More than any other form of mass transit system.

1006
00:43:52,570 --> 00:43:55,693
Its success is dependent on the buses' reliability.

1007
00:43:56,550 --> 00:43:58,993
If that goes, then people will stop using them.

1008
00:44:02,860 --> 00:44:06,040
It's 5:00 a.m. at the Brixton bus depot.

1009
00:44:06,040 --> 00:44:07,820
While most of the city sleeps,

1010
00:44:07,820 --> 00:44:11,310
Brixton's bus workers are already hard at work.

1011
00:44:11,310 --> 00:44:14,580
Depot controller, Sharon Moses, faces a massive challenge

1012
00:44:14,580 --> 00:44:18,199
to get 100 vehicles onto the road before rush hour.

1013
00:44:18,199 --> 00:44:19,880
So, in the morning, we have about four hours

1014
00:44:19,880 --> 00:44:22,660
to get rid of 100 buses here,

1015
00:44:22,660 --> 00:44:24,460
to get them all out on time,

1016
00:44:24,460 --> 00:44:25,810
fit for purpose.

1017
00:44:25,810 --> 00:44:27,930
This scenario is repeated every day

1018
00:44:27,930 --> 00:44:29,800
at depots across the capital.

1019
00:44:29,800 --> 00:44:34,800
Servicing 8,500 buses running on over 700 different routes,

1020
00:44:35,130 --> 00:44:38,090
Sharon's biggest task is making sure all drivers

1021
00:44:38,090 --> 00:44:39,690
have a functioning bus.

1022
00:44:39,690 --> 00:44:42,620
By 6:00 a.m., it's becoming a lot harder.

1023
00:44:42,620 --> 00:44:43,453
First thing in the morning,

1024
00:44:43,453 --> 00:44:44,860
it's easier to control

1025
00:44:44,860 --> 00:44:47,050
because you got so many more buses in here

1026
00:44:47,050 --> 00:44:48,550
in the morning, it's packed.

1027
00:44:48,550 --> 00:44:49,530
So, if anything goes wrong,

1028
00:44:49,530 --> 00:44:50,970
just tell a driver, quick, take that one,

1029
00:44:50,970 --> 00:44:52,500
take this bus, take that one.

1030
00:44:52,500 --> 00:44:55,270
But obviously, as the buses get fewer and fewer in here,

1031
00:44:55,270 --> 00:44:57,250
if there is a mechanical problem, any problem,

1032
00:44:57,250 --> 00:44:58,600
it's harder to deal with

1033
00:44:58,600 --> 00:45:00,400
'cause we've got a limited amount of buses

1034
00:45:00,400 --> 00:45:01,363
we can play with.

1035
00:45:02,410 --> 00:45:04,640
As the run out reaches its final phase,

1036
00:45:04,640 --> 00:45:07,040
the pressure starts to take its toll.

1037
00:45:07,040 --> 00:45:08,670
Gonna have to park up along there.

1038
00:45:08,670 --> 00:45:10,200
It can be stressful,

1039
00:45:10,200 --> 00:45:12,950
and obviously, I'm not just dealing with one route here,

1040
00:45:12,950 --> 00:45:14,040
I'm dealing with all the routes

1041
00:45:14,040 --> 00:45:15,420
that come out of the garage.

1042
00:45:15,420 --> 00:45:16,690
So, you have to make sure everything

1043
00:45:16,690 --> 00:45:19,030
leaves on time, all routes, all services.

1044
00:45:19,030 --> 00:45:21,023
There's hardly any gap in any service.

1045
00:45:21,970 --> 00:45:23,260
At times like this,

1046
00:45:23,260 --> 00:45:25,688
Sharon needs to draw on all the resources

1047
00:45:25,688 --> 00:45:27,080
available to her.

1048
00:45:27,080 --> 00:45:28,500
It's all part of a team.

1049
00:45:28,500 --> 00:45:31,527
I'm only as good as the drivers, okay?

1050
00:45:31,527 --> 00:45:34,420
And the drivers are only as good as the buses as well.

1051
00:45:34,420 --> 00:45:35,910
So, we all have to work together,

1052
00:45:35,910 --> 00:45:39,150
the engineers, the drivers and the controllers as well.

1053
00:45:40,290 --> 00:45:42,390
Today, she's relying on bus driver,

1054
00:45:42,390 --> 00:45:43,890
Nathan Algeau.

1055
00:45:43,890 --> 00:45:45,943
I'm doing on 159 today, G-E-284.

1056
00:45:47,086 --> 00:45:48,210
About 10 minutes early.

1057
00:45:48,210 --> 00:45:50,960
Just gonna check if there's any diversions or anything.

1058
00:45:52,230 --> 00:45:53,980
For Nathan and his fellow drivers,

1059
00:45:53,980 --> 00:45:56,220
each day is governed by the clock

1060
00:45:56,220 --> 00:45:59,490
which starts ticking the moment they arrive onsite.

1061
00:45:59,490 --> 00:46:00,323
If you're not on time,

1062
00:46:00,323 --> 00:46:01,350
you could possibly lose your duty

1063
00:46:01,350 --> 00:46:03,797
and lose a day's money,

1064
00:46:03,797 --> 00:46:06,150
so it's important that you get here on time.

1065
00:46:06,150 --> 00:46:08,700
I try to get here ten minutes early every day.

1066
00:46:08,700 --> 00:46:11,830
Once on site, he's allocated a bus.

1067
00:46:11,830 --> 00:46:13,680
Then Nathan has just 10 minutes

1068
00:46:13,680 --> 00:46:15,100
to carry out his inspection

1069
00:46:15,100 --> 00:46:17,200
before it's due on the road.

1070
00:46:17,200 --> 00:46:19,923
If anything's wrong, his departure will be delayed.

1071
00:46:20,810 --> 00:46:22,250
It's rush hour.

1072
00:46:22,250 --> 00:46:25,400
People are depending on him to get to work on time.

1073
00:46:25,400 --> 00:46:27,440
All they know is they're out they, they want a bus.

1074
00:46:27,440 --> 00:46:29,800
Bus hasn't come, oh my god, bus hasn't come.

1075
00:46:29,800 --> 00:46:31,430
When the driver comes,

1076
00:46:31,430 --> 00:46:33,140
they'll have a go at the driver.

1077
00:46:33,140 --> 00:46:34,230
Thankfully, for Nathan,

1078
00:46:34,230 --> 00:46:36,150
his bus passes its check

1079
00:46:36,150 --> 00:46:38,403
and he makes it out in the nick of time.

1080
00:46:39,820 --> 00:46:41,450
His bus is vital to people

1081
00:46:41,450 --> 00:46:44,260
making all kinds of essential journeys.

1082
00:46:44,260 --> 00:46:46,560
Working people going to work,

1083
00:46:46,560 --> 00:46:49,813
doctors, police, students,

1084
00:46:50,730 --> 00:46:54,040
everyone really, everyone needs to get on the bus.

1085
00:46:54,040 --> 00:46:56,890
Drivers are the core of the bus service.

1086
00:46:56,890 --> 00:46:58,500
But if London's buses are to remain

1087
00:46:58,500 --> 00:47:00,850
the capital's number one mode of transport,

1088
00:47:00,850 --> 00:47:02,940
they need help from here.

1089
00:47:02,940 --> 00:47:04,660
3-6-6 receiving.

1090
00:47:04,660 --> 00:47:07,920
This is the iBus Control center in Purley.

1091
00:47:07,920 --> 00:47:10,920
39 of these are situated around the capital,

1092
00:47:10,920 --> 00:47:13,140
keeping a watch over London's bus fleet.

1093
00:47:13,140 --> 00:47:14,863
73 you receive.

1094
00:47:15,700 --> 00:47:17,240
Here, Jeremy Geldard,

1095
00:47:17,240 --> 00:47:18,880
and fellow controllers are in charge

1096
00:47:18,880 --> 00:47:20,770
of up to 40 separate routes.

1097
00:47:20,770 --> 00:47:23,210
Today I'm working with the high frequency,

1098
00:47:23,210 --> 00:47:26,170
which is I have to make sure the buses are arriving

1099
00:47:26,170 --> 00:47:28,170
every 10 minutes, so the passengers aren't waiting

1100
00:47:28,170 --> 00:47:30,060
more than 10 minutes for bus.

1101
00:47:30,060 --> 00:47:31,980
To help him, GPS units

1102
00:47:31,980 --> 00:47:35,230
are attached to every single bus on London's roads.

1103
00:47:35,230 --> 00:47:37,820
Their positions are relayed back to the center

1104
00:47:37,820 --> 00:47:40,440
where they appear as icons on a screen.

1105
00:47:40,440 --> 00:47:41,770
It's almost like being in a helicopter.

1106
00:47:41,770 --> 00:47:46,770
We could look down and see things and anticipate.

1107
00:47:46,990 --> 00:47:48,280
The idea of this would be to have

1108
00:47:48,280 --> 00:47:49,900
every single bus in yellow.

1109
00:47:49,900 --> 00:47:51,210
If every single bus is in yellow,

1110
00:47:51,210 --> 00:47:52,920
that means there's an even headway,

1111
00:47:52,920 --> 00:47:54,880
there's a bus every 10 minutes,

1112
00:47:54,880 --> 00:47:56,930
and every bus is on time.

1113
00:47:56,930 --> 00:47:59,480
Unfortunately, it's a very rare occurrence

1114
00:47:59,480 --> 00:48:01,030
for that to happen.

1115
00:48:01,030 --> 00:48:02,840
We have red and green.

1116
00:48:02,840 --> 00:48:04,880
Red signifies that the bus is actually

1117
00:48:04,880 --> 00:48:07,340
too close to the bus in front.

1118
00:48:07,340 --> 00:48:09,970
So, we would ask them to slow down a little bit

1119
00:48:09,970 --> 00:48:12,910
to create bigger gap.

1120
00:48:12,910 --> 00:48:14,270
Technological advances

1121
00:48:14,270 --> 00:48:15,800
have changed things dramatically

1122
00:48:15,800 --> 00:48:17,480
for Jeremy and his colleagues.

1123
00:48:17,480 --> 00:48:20,194
When I first started this, 10 years ago,

1124
00:48:20,194 --> 00:48:22,520
we'd stand on the side of the road

1125
00:48:22,520 --> 00:48:23,770
and watch buses go past

1126
00:48:23,770 --> 00:48:25,190
and we had a little piece of paper in a book

1127
00:48:25,190 --> 00:48:26,690
and we'd mark off the bus.

1128
00:48:26,690 --> 00:48:27,560
This bus is on time,

1129
00:48:27,560 --> 00:48:29,060
this bus is 10 minutes late.

1130
00:48:29,060 --> 00:48:30,980
Whereas with this system now,

1131
00:48:30,980 --> 00:48:33,860
we see the whole route in real time.

1132
00:48:33,860 --> 00:48:36,080
It has been compared to a computer game, basically,

1133
00:48:36,080 --> 00:48:38,290
because I look at a screen

1134
00:48:38,290 --> 00:48:41,730
and what I dictate to the screen

1135
00:48:41,730 --> 00:48:43,640
happens in real life.

1136
00:48:43,640 --> 00:48:45,610
That means out here,

1137
00:48:45,610 --> 00:48:48,590
where Nathan's continuing his morning run.

1138
00:48:48,590 --> 00:48:50,020
Things are looking clear now,

1139
00:48:50,020 --> 00:48:52,670
but in London, a congestion crisis is always

1140
00:48:52,670 --> 00:48:54,730
just around the corner.

1141
00:48:54,730 --> 00:48:57,040
When the city's very bad,

1142
00:48:57,040 --> 00:48:59,400
it can take up to two hours

1143
00:48:59,400 --> 00:49:02,897
to get from Paddington to come off the garage.

1144
00:49:02,897 --> 00:49:05,400
The traffic will be in central London

1145
00:49:05,400 --> 00:49:07,673
and then everyone clogs to get out.

1146
00:49:07,673 --> 00:49:10,770
Exactly the scenario Jeremy wants to avoid.

1147
00:49:10,770 --> 00:49:13,660
But for now, there's not much Nathan can do.

1148
00:49:13,660 --> 00:49:15,645
They shouldn't be too upset with me.

1149
00:49:15,645 --> 00:49:16,850
Yeah, 377...

1150
00:49:16,850 --> 00:49:19,270
A combination of technology and human effort

1151
00:49:19,270 --> 00:49:22,350
to helping London's buses enjoy a renaissance.

1152
00:49:22,350 --> 00:49:23,580
For Jeremy and his team,

1153
00:49:23,580 --> 00:49:25,610
keeping up with London's busy commuters

1154
00:49:25,610 --> 00:49:27,279
is a daily battle.

1155
00:49:27,279 --> 00:49:29,552
Everything seems to be so much faster now.

1156
00:49:29,552 --> 00:49:31,030
If you want a bus, you want it now.

1157
00:49:31,030 --> 00:49:32,460
And at the end of the day, that's what we do.

1158
00:49:32,460 --> 00:49:35,380
It's there as best as we can for them, there and then.

1159
00:49:35,380 --> 00:49:39,200
And that's what city life's all about.

1160
00:49:39,200 --> 00:49:41,720
{\an8}City life means constant movement.

1161
00:49:41,720 --> 00:49:44,720
{\an8}Thousands of people work every day at making it possible

1162
00:49:44,720 --> 00:49:47,300
{\an8}for city dwellers to be where they need to be,

1163
00:49:47,300 --> 00:49:48,870
{\an8}when they need to be there.

1164
00:49:48,870 --> 00:49:52,180
{\an8}It's an endless task demanding brain and brawn.

1165
00:49:52,180 --> 00:49:55,870
{\an8}Without the army of drivers, diggers, planners and thinkers,

1166
00:49:55,870 --> 00:49:58,283
{\an8}our great cities would grind to a halt.