A 2050 vision for London: what are the implications of driverless transport?

If the railways transformed the way we travelled in the 19th century and the internal combustion engine in the 20th, then it is claimed that the revolution that will transform transport in the 21st century is autonomous vehicles. This report examines the merit of this claim with particular focus on the ramifications of driverless technology for London. My conclusion is that automated vehicles have great potential. But we must not allow them to shape our cities in the way the internal combustion engine was allowed to in the last century. In the 19th century, rail led to a concentration of population in city areas. In the 20th, the effect of the internal combustion engine was the opposite: high car ownership led to dispersal, seen at its most extreme in US cities. It will not be good for the economy or the environment if autonomous vehicles lead to lower density cities or higher car use. London’s future economic success depends on high density commercial and residential development and a very high public transport modal split.

• Record URL:
  http://www.transporttimes.co.uk/Admin/uploads/64165-Transport-Times_A-2050-Vision-for-London_AW-WEB-READY.pdf
• 
• Corporate Authors:

  Transport Times

  London,    
• Authors:
  • Begg, D
• Publication Date: 2014

Language

• English

Media Info

• Pagination: 55p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: City planning; Innovation; Transportation planning; Travel behavior
• Uncontrolled Terms: Autonomous vehicle; Policy and planning
• Geographic Terms: London (England)
• ATRI Terms: Innovation; Town planning; Transport planning; Travel behaviour
• Subject Areas: Planning and Forecasting;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01534281
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: ARRB
• Files: ATRI
• Created Date: Aug 11 2014 2:17PM