On 23 June 2019, the Joint-Research Center of the European Commission released a new report on the future of road transport elaborating the implications of automated, connected, low-carbon and shared mobility by looking at the main enablers of the transformation of road transport, such as data governance, infrastructures, communication technologies and cybersecurity, and legislation.
The authors describe impacts on the economy, employment and skills, energy use and emissions, the sustainability of raw materials, democracy, privacy and social fairness, as well as on the urban context. New technologies and business models, such as shared cars, bikes and scooters, are fundamentally changing how we get around. Future transport can be more efficient, safer, eco-friendly and accessible transport systems. Although car-centered personal transport has essential negative impacts, road transport will continue to be the main mode of transport and private cars will remain dominant. Reducing the role of private cars is should, thus, be higher prioritized.
The authors formulate two main recommendations for future road transport: Firstly, our current transport systems and policies must be upgraded to the 21st century. Secondly, policymakers must improve governance systems and involve citizens in the rollout of innovative mobility solutions. The latter could be done with a network of European living labs where innovative mobility solutions are introduced and tested with direct participation of citizens.
Full report availabt at <https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/en/publication/eur-scientific-and-technical-research-reports/future-road-transport>.