UK reviews MaaS, data and micromobility regulation

Mobility as a Service (MaaS), transport data and micromobility are to be the subject of new regulatory review by the UK government. Zero-emission vehicles, driverless vehicles (AVs) and drones are already under similar review. But in a document, Future of Mobility: Urban Strategy, maps out how the country’s Department of Transport will approach other mobility opportunities – and challenges. “This is the moment to reflect on what we as a society want these changes to deliver and what we want our urban
March 27, 2019 Read time: 2 mins

Mobility as a Service (8356 MaaS), transport data and micromobility are to be the subject of new regulatory review by the UK government.

Zero-emission vehicles, driverless vehicles (AVs) and drones are already under similar review. But in a  document, %$Linker: 2 External <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 0 0 0 link-external Future of Mobility: Urban Strategy false https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/786654/future-of-mobility-strategy.pdf false false%>, maps out how the country’s Department of Transport will approach other mobility opportunities – and challenges.

“This is the moment to reflect on what we as a society want these changes to deliver and what we want our urban spaces to be like,” the report’s preamble says. “If successfully channelled, they have the potential to deliver step-change advances for society, the environment and the economy.”

The flipside of this is also spelled out: “If technological changes are not effectively managed they could have undesired effects, such as increasing congestion or reducing sustainable travel.”

Transport minister Jesse Norman says that mobility changes are going to be felt most strongly in cities, at least initially, but pledges: “We will be setting out our thinking on the future of rural mobility in due course.”

The government has several principles which it insists will underpin its approach “as far as possible”. These include the tenets that “walking, cycling and active travel must remain the best options for short urban journeys” and “new mobility services must lead the transition to zero emissions”.

Among the government’s pledges are for four ‘future mobility zones’ with £90 million of funding and to encourage “the sharing and harnessing of data, through the creation of standards and platforms that make it easier to access and use transport data”.

Related Content

  • McCain to use ATC cabinets to improve traffic signal infrastructure in San Francisco
    December 13, 2018
    McCain is to upgrade San Francisco’s traffic signal infrastructure through the introduction of 400 M advanced transportation controller (ATC) cabinets over the next three years. Reza Roozitalab, McCain’s vice president of hardware engineering, says: “Our M ATC cabinet features two front side-by-side doors, ideal for areas with narrow sidewalks so maintenance teams can work inside without completely blocking the walkway.” Also, the M ATC cabinets feature a ‘lamp out monitoring algorithm’ which identifies
    Read More
  • Curiosity Lab enters partnership on AV research
    September 12, 2019
    A US transport research organisation has partnered with the Georgia Institute of Technology and Delta Airlines to advance autonomous vehicle (AV) and infrastructure research. Curiosity Lab at Peachtree Corners is a 5G-enabled autonomous vehicle (AV) test bed with a 1.5 mile AV track. The deal will provide Georgia Tech researchers with access to Curiosity Lab’s test track and laboratory. The lab features dedicated fibre, smart poles and a network operations centre for researchers to track data from connecte
    Read More
  • Australia’s laws are ‘not ready for driverless vehicles’
    May 13, 2016
    Australia’s National Transport Commission (NTC) has released Regulatory Options for Automated Vehicles, a discussion paper that finds a number of legislative barriers to increasing vehicle automation. The paper proposes that there are barriers that need to be addressed as soon as possible to ensure clarity around the status of more automated vehicles on Australia’s roads and to support further trials. In the longer term other legislative barriers will need to be addressed to allow fully driverless vehic
    Read More
  • Solving Detroit’s jams: just ask a Michigan student
    October 17, 2019
    At the Institute of Transportation Engineers annual meeting, a clever student plan to reduce commute times in Detroit suggests the future of the ITS industry is in good hands, write Pete Spiller and Jarrod Cady A team of students from the University of Michigan won a national student Transportation Technology Tournament - sponsored by the National Operations Center of Excellence (NOCoE) and the US Department of Transportation - with a compelling presentation on reducing congestion. In an impressive d
    Read More

Highlighted Content