Emphasize pilot projects to get real-world data on impact of automated vehicles, recommends United Kingdom mobility inquiry.

The report, a product from the Commission on Travel Demand, outlined the current state of shared mobility in the United Kingdom and recommended paths forward.

Date Posted
10/22/2019
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Identifier
2019-L00914

Shared mobility – where now, where next?

Summary Information

The Commission on Travel Demand, an independent group of United Kingdom transportation experts, performed an inquiry into shared mobility to understand its impacts and potential future. Their report, "Shared Mobility – Where Now, Where Next?" details the current state of the practice, reviews evidence for shared mobility's benefits, and explores policy options for governments or agencies looking to encourage the deployment and adoption of shared mobility. While a number of their final recommendations are specific to the British shared mobility environment, or addressed to specific governmental institutions, others are relevant to any organization wishing to promote shared mobility.

Lessons Learned

  • Shared mobility options should be placed within a road user hierarchy directly linked to the public policy outcomes they can deliver. By increasing the transparency of options and their impacts, it is easier to make the case for shared modes.
  • Future research programs on shared use transportation should focus on understanding when and how sharing works, and what is required to grow and sustain shared mobility. Through this, an understanding of how to overcome barriers for different users may be developed.
  • Suggest synthesis of a literature review to understand the benefits of public- and private-sector carpooling arrangements, and to identify the scale of potential operational, emissions, and community benefits.
  • Regional or local transportation agencies should establish a shared mobility strategy, with the goal of reducing individual vehicle ownership and promoting access to the cleaner fleet.
  • Agencies should develop a vision for a transition to a smaller vehicle fleet to reduce emissions impacts.
  • When forecasting future road traffic, cover a wide range of possible vehicle ownership futures—market saturation of automated vehicles will not reach 100 percent overnight.
  • Shared automated vehicle projects and pilots should be prioritized in automated vehicle-related research.
  • Mobility hubs should be piloted and used to create real-world guidance and workable standards.
  • The government should take the lead in the field, providing seed funding for pilots to encourage building of shared mobility practices.
  • Recommend exploring and understanding a range of models for transitioning from pilots to full applications.
  • Roadmaps for mobility deployment should pay particular attention to the different aspects of data governance that relate to shared mobility.
System Engineering Elements

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