Autonomous Transport - the future is now : transportation engineering

Abstract

Imagine the future is now - people and goods are moving around quietly and efficiently. To have designed such an environment, we would have had to break free from all that appeared logical and proven in the past, and challenge the boundaries of creative thinking with visionary new concepts. The transport industry is often conservative, but it is increasingly being swamped by rampant urbanisation and pollution constraints. Will our foresight be capable of designing beyond the past and present trends? While the specifics may be difficult to forecast, a number of macro-drivers will reshape the transport world. Autonomous Transport in all its forms is now firmly on both the public and private sector's agendas. These drivers of change will have far-reaching implications for transport in general and private transport in particular, and they provide the context in which Autonomous Transport might emerge. There will be challenges, but innovation will drive the concept forward.It is vital that decisions are made with a focus on tomorrow's possibilities and preferred outcomes - we need to shape the future.