The 9 principles of future urban mobility
The UK Government has announced its biggest ever regulatory review of new modes of transport as it unveiled plans to invest £90 million in new mobility solutions.
The review will explore regulations around new types of vehicles, such as e-scooters and e-cargo bike trailers. It will also investigate how sharing data can improve services by reducing congestion. And it will look into how journey planning and ticket payment can be simplified.
The Government’s aim is to create greener, easier, safer and more reliable transport services for towns and cities.
New mobility solutions need careful management
But in a new Department of Transport report, called Future of Mobility: Urban Strategy, it warned that “if technological changes are not effectively managed they could have undesired effects, such as increasing congestion or reducing sustainable travel.”
The report outlined nine core principles for the future mobility of passengers, goods and services.
These principles are:
- New mobility services must lead towards zero emissions.
- Walking and cycling must remain the best options for short journeys.
- All mobility innovations must help to reduce congestion.
- New mobility services must be designed to be part of an integrated transport system.
- Mass transit must remain fundamental to the transport system.
- Data from new mobility services must be shared.
- The benefits of new mobility services must be available to all segments of society and all parts of the UK.
- New modes of transport and mobility services must be safe and secure by design.
- The mobility marketplace musy be open to stimulate competition.
New mobility zones
To stimulate innovation, the UK will invest £90 million in up to four new ‘future mobility zones’ to test innovative concepts.
Jesse Norman, Government minister for the Future of Mobility, said, “We are at a potentially pivotal moment for the future of transport, with revolutionary technologies creating huge opportunities for cleaner, cheaper, safer and more reliable journeys.”
The initiative won the support of Ian Robertson, former board member of BMW, who said the new strategy “will ensure that going forward, all businesses within the transport industry create technology that is accessible to everyone, environmentally friendly and economically worthwhile.”
E-cargo bike subsidies
As part of the initiative, the Energy Saving Trust is offering businesses a grant to cover 20% of the cost of an ecargo bike, which it said could prove a green and efficient solution for last mile deliveries.
Matthew Eastwood, Head of Transport at Energy Saving Trust, said, “An ecargo bike has the potential to be faster through traffic than a van and offer much lower operating costs. They are a practical sustainable transport solution for urban deliveries, generating zero emissions therefore contributing to improved air quality.”
Read the full review here.
