Progressive European Party
I spend most of my political time on Twitter @Prog_Party, unfortunately I get into a lot of rows and it is mostly with other rejoiners. One recent set too was in response to a comment I made on a Tweet from Andrew Adonis @Andrew_Adonis. Andrew said that the high-speed train needed to go to Scotland soon. I said it would be out of date before it was up and running. That set them off, I of course don’t know what I am talking about and it would take so many people in just a few hours how could it get out of date.
What is not being taken into consideration with regards to travel time is that passengers do not live at railway stations. Passenger's all have different points of departure and different destinations to get to. They could be coming from Wales or Cornwall and travelling to Dumfries or Inverness. The time saved by a high speed train from London to Edinburgh is only a small part of the journey time if you have far to travel. What works better is transport that can take a passenger from door to door.
That transport is of course the car. With the coming of electric engines, this form of transport will no longer be a major contributor to air pollution. The most significant change for public transport will come from self-driving cars, the autonomous vehicles of science fiction have become a reality. Some semi automated cars that can change lanes and park themselves are already on the market and completely driverless cars are on our streets in the development stage.
As soon as this evolution in transport moves to its next level of development, which is the fully autonomous taxi, public transport can be totally transformed. Robotaxis are already operating in China and with 6G, which is expected to be rolled out in 2030, the transport revolution can be completed.
When low cost Robotaxis are available countrywide it will no longer be necessary to own a car. Private cars spend most of their life immobile, but still costing their owner money. Why put up with all the expense of private ownership when you can call a cab from an app on your phone that will drop you anywhere you need to go.
The driverless cars of today still have a sterling wheel and all the controls and a driver just in case. Much as the computer controlled trains that run on some Metro systems still have a driver in the cab, just in case. Very soon this will no longer be necessary as the technology progresses at a fast pace and will be proved to be safe and reliable.
This will transform our world, not just because we can get in a taxi, give it the address and sit back and relax as it takes us there. The car itself will no longer need controls in the cab or a windscreen allowing interiors to be completely redesigned. A table and chairs, a bed, a drinks cabinet, a tv. Anything you like that fits into the space and makes life more comfortable.
Motorways can be restricted for the use of autonomous vehicles only making the completion of long journeys far faster. Imagine Robotaxis all moving at the same speed all at the same distance apart, always in the right lane and moving at the correct speed for the road conditions. There will be no need for motorway lighting, no reason to slow down because of fog and no speed limits as they will always be moving at the highest safe speed.
A criticism could be that taxies are expensive compared to public transport, not everyone will be able to afford them. This would not prove to be the case with Robotaxis as most of the cost of a taxi fare pays the wages of the driver and the staff who take your booking. These jobs will go, making a Robotaxi far cheaper than a current taxi. Local authorities subsidise bus routes, on many of these bus journeys the bus is less than half full and it runs on some arbitrary time table. Far better to subsidise the Robotaxi service. The OAP bus pass can become a Robotaxi pass, pensioners will clearly benefit from a service that is available day and night and can take them from door to door.
There are other benefits over conventional transport. The huge amount of space that is taken up by shopping centre car parks will become unnecessary. Drop off and pick up points and loading bays will be all that is required. Side streets will no longer be full of parked cars as the total number of cars will be reduced. Buses can be assigned to the history books and the extraordinarily high costs of HS2, Birmingham to Edinburgh £100bn+, can be forgone.
What does Government need to do to implement this transport revolution? Very little is the answer. Private companies are funding the research and development of autonomous vehicles. What Central Government could do is make sure G6 is rolled out on time and stop spending billions of pounds on prestigious high speed rail projects. Projects that can only ever benefit a small number of citizens compared to autonomous vehicles which will benefit everyone. It is far better to put the investment into maintaining and developing our existing road and rail networks and embracing the new technology as soon as it arrives.
Philip Notley
progressiveeuropeanparty@gmail.com
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