TRL: ‘To ensure future road safety - don’t repeat the past’

The UK’s Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) says that future road safety will require innovation rather than repeating past measures. Speaking at the UK Department for Transport (DfT)’s International Road Safety Conference, TRL’s academy director Richard Cuerden discussed why a paradigm shift is needed in the transport sector’s approach to road safety interventions to ensure road casualties are reduced significantly by 2030. The number of deaths on the world’s roads remains unacceptably high, with an e
September 6, 2019 Read time: 2 mins

The UK’s Transport Research Laboratory (491 TRL) says that future road safety will require innovation rather than repeating past measures.

Speaking at the UK 1837 Department for Transport (DfT)’s International Road Safety Conference, TRL’s academy director Richard Cuerden discussed why a paradigm shift is needed in the transport sector’s approach to road safety interventions to ensure road casualties are reduced significantly by 2030. The number of deaths on the world’s roads remains unacceptably high, with an estimated 1.35 million people dying each year.

Cuerden discussed the digital revolution in transport and how the challenges and opportunities of new innovations must be tackled to ensure road safety.

He said that the design of smart liveable cities with zero emissions and zero casualties demands more walking, cycling and the use of public transport, rather than the use of private vehicles.

Urbanisation presents challenges and opportunities, Cuerden added. Good design, removing the need for motor vehicles wherever practicable, could be the most suitable solution. TRL envisages a world in which C/AVs, public transport and bike hire schemes will give users multiple transport options between residential, industrial and commercial districts.

TRL is building the UK’s flagship testbed for C/AVs – London’s Smart Mobility Living Lab - and working in partnership with TfL to accelerate the real world delivery of new mobility products and services.

Urban Traffic Control

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Addison Lee and Oxbotica to implement AV services in London by 2021
    October 23, 2018
    Addison Lee has partnered with self-driving vehicle software company Oxbotica in a bid to bring autonomous ride-sharing services to London by 2021. Addison Lee, a UK private taxi hire firm, says it will also explore opportunities to provide corporate shuttles, airport and campus-based services. Andy Boland, CEO of Addison Lee, says: “By providing ride-sharing services, we can help address congestion, free space used for parking and improve urban air quality through zero-emission vehicles.” The partners
    Read More
  • Mobility pricing offers new tools for managing mobility
    November 23, 2017
    Mobility pricing is the best way of sustaining and enhancing mobility, argues Moving Forward Consulting’s Josef Czako. Mobility pricing (MP) is effectively the culmination of the ‘user pays’ principle and has been referred to in many policy discussions about electronic toll collection, road user charging (RUC), and pricing. MP not only reflects the ‘use more, pay more’ nature of RUC, it also takes account of the external cost of journeys including pollution, noise, the cost of congestion and accidents.
    Read More
  • Passport roundtable examines London’s kerb space priorities
    March 19, 2019
    UK congestion is getting worse, in part due to the influx of deliveries coming into cities. At a roundtable discussion in London, software provider Passport examined new ways in which local authorities can work together to better manage the kerb. Ben Spencer listens in Competition for kerb space is one of the major conundrums of modern urban mobility. Some authorities are being creative about it, but good practice is not widespread. “There are individual pockets of good work going on with cities who a
    Read More
  • The path to safer roads: America can learn from Europe’s example, says Verra Mobility
    May 1, 2024
    Many US states are establishing road safety programmes that will inspire others. TJ Tiedje, vice president commercial at Verra Mobility, explains why this is important
    Read More

Highlighted Content