Rapidly-changing mobility environment is challenging policymakers, says UK DfT

Policy makers are working hard to make sense of a rapidly-changing mobility environment, according to a senior official from the UK’s Department for Transport (DfT). Ella Taylor, DfT’s head, future of mobility, Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (C/AV), says the pace of development in transportation modes, such as e-scooters (not currently allowed in the UK) and e-bikes (which are), presents difficulties for governments trying to create standards and laws. “Across the globe, different modes
January 25, 2019 Read time: 2 mins

Policy makers are working hard to make sense of a rapidly-changing mobility environment, according to a senior official from the UK’s 1837 Department for Transport (DfT).

Ella Taylor, DfT’s head, future of mobility, Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (C/AV), says the pace of development in transportation modes, such as e-scooters (not currently allowed in the UK) and e-bikes (which are), presents difficulties for governments trying to create standards and laws.

“Across the globe, different modes challenge the way we are doing regulation,” she told the Westminster Energy, Environment & Transport Forum in London this week.

When it comes to hot-button issues such as AVs, she said that removing the driver from the equation is going to have a positive impact on road safety – but events such as 8336 Uber’s %$Linker: 2 External <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 0 0 0 link-external fatal crash false http://www.itsinternational.com/sections/general/news/uber-seeks-to-resume-av-trials-nearly-eight-months-after-arizona-fatality/ false false%> in Arizona emphasise the need for explanation and reassurance.

“How do you juggle that challenging situation and make the public understand why you’re supporting this strategy?” she said.

The DfT plans to release a strategy on the future of urban mobility “soon”.

Enforcement

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Teleste to implement S-aware platform on Helsinki’s metro system
    November 1, 2018
    Finnish technology company Teleste will install a ‘situational awareness’ (S-aware) platform on Helsinki’s metro system. Part of a €2 million contract to improve passenger safety, the solution will be rolled out gradually next year and is expected to be complete in 2020. S-Aware collects real-time information from various subsystems and data sources to display a real-time view of the operational infrastructure. Teleste says the system will allow Helsinki City Transport to respond better to secur
    Read More
  • Final eCoMove event
    September 17, 2013
    The eCoMove final event, to be held at Eurogress, Aachen, Germany, from 20-21 November, offers a variety of events including a conference, an exhibition presenting the final results of the project and live driving demonstrations on public roads. Showcasing state-of-the-art cooperative intelligent transportation systems (ITS) for energy efficiency, the event will look at mitigating the environmental impacts of road transport through the latest ITS technologies: eCoMove technological advances aim to lower roa
    Read More
  • Unmanned to trial autonomous delivery bots in Seoul
    September 25, 2019
    Technology start-up Unmanned Solutions is to deploy autonomous delivery robots in Sangam Digital Media City (DMC), an autonomous driving test bed South Korea’s capital Seoul. The Korean Times says the four-wheeled electric vehicles will operate in the city for a year, carrying 200kg of goods on a flat tray. Jung Young-Jae, a city official in charge of the start-up incubation project at Seoul Institute of Technology, says: “The robots will start with shipping supplies from freight trucks near the mai
    Read More
  • New ITS America report examines the shared-use mobility sector
    September 29, 2015
    A new report by the Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITS America), in conjunction with AT&T, investigates how evolving mobile technology and changing demands of the traveling public are shaping the future of transportation in a more connected world. This report, entitled Rise of the Real-Time Traveler, examines the public’s changing demographics and purchasing behaviors while focusing on shared-use mobility in an increasingly connected world. Utilizing a broad array of research, this report
    Read More

Highlighted Content