Innovations in technology could have important impact

Eco-driving, videoconferencing and increased connectivity on public transport are some of the ways information technology could help make travel in the UK easier, safer and more environmentally friendly in the future.

A new report published today by the Sustainable Development Commission says innovations in information communications technology (ICT ) could have an important impact on improving fuel consumption and safety, cutting down on the need for time-consuming transport, and making the journeys we need to take more enjoyable.

The Commission’s report Smarter Moves: How Information Communications Technology can promote Sustainable Mobility looks at how ICT could transform the way we choose to travel, and so make both our travel and our lifestyles more sustainable. It concludes that, while not a silver bullet, a concerted Government and business focus on ICT solutions could help provide answers to some of our most pressing transport problems.

Transport currently accounts for 29% of the UK’s total domestic and international carbon dioxide emissions, and is the only major sector where there is still an upward trend in CO2 emissions. Almost 70% of UK transport emissions come from road transport, with more than half of this from cars.

The report finds that ICT solutions could help reduce carbon emissions, congestion, accidents and noise levels, as well as improving health and air quality by reducing the need to travel; making public transport easier and more pleasant to use, and helping people to drive more efficiently. Ensuring adherence to speed limits – particularly through the use of intelligent speed adaptation – would have significant safety benefits, and better use of parking controls, tolls and road pricing could improve transport network efficiency.

However, the report warns if ICT solutions are not developed within a wider sustainable transport framework, they have the potential to encourage unsustainable travel, for example, cars could become more attractive to use if ICT made them cheaper to run.

Stewart Davies, business commissioner at the Sustainable Development Commission, says: “Already, eco-driving technology can help motorists spend less at the pumps and reduce their emissions; better information can make using public transport easier, and videoconferencing technology can help business travellers avoid some journeys altogether. It can help provide a better work-life balance, ensure we have more time with our families and as well as more productive working time. Increased, reliable internet connections on public transport could transform journeys into time well spent in a moving office, or for leisure travel – a cinema.

More information: www.sd-commission.org.uk