A 180-year-old law to prevent horses, donkeys, pigs and cattle being driven on pavements could delay new trials of driverless cars.
Government lawyers are seeking to redraft the Highway Act 1835 to allow revolutionary “pods” to be tested on pavements in southeast England. The two-seaters will undergo a three-year trial — part-funded by the taxpayer — to put Britain at the forefront of the development of driverless technology.
Under the plans, the vehicles are supposed to be used on paths rather than roads, providing passengers with low-speed transportation to shops, hospitals and workplaces. It is one of a series of large trials of driverless technology starting across Britain next month.
However, the 1835 legislation, passed in the year that Charles Darwin landed on the Galapagos…