New report says better use of information technology could transform lives and reduce travel
Mon 25 January 2010
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A report by the Sustainable Development Commission (SDC) looks at how Information Communications Technology (ICT) could transform the way we choose to travel, and so make both our travel and our lifestyles more sustainable. It concludes that a concerted Government and business focus on ICT solutions could help provide answers to some of our most pressing transport problems.
The new report - Smarter Moves: How Information Communications Technology can promote Sustainable Mobility - is downloadable from the SDC website (which can be accessed via the associated link).
The report says that ICT can make personal mobility more sustainable, reduce CO2 emissions, congestion and noise, as well as improve air quality, health, wellbeing and social cohesion through:
Reducing the need to travel and enabling home working
Making public transport easier to use and improving the journey experience
Facilitating car sharing; car clubs; and helping people to drive more efficiently
Ensuring adherence to speed limits - particularly through the use of intelligent speed adaptation
Improving transport network efficiency and delivering road pricing.
As Government advisors on sustainable development, the SDC makes a number of recommendations in this report to the Department for Transport and other government departments to facilitate the use of ICT to promote sustainable mobility. These include sponsorship of an Innovation and Growth Team whereby DfT, BIS and DCMS can engage with businesses to remove barriers and realise the opportunities for ICT-enabled sustainable mobility.
The SDC also recommends the creation of a UK network of high quality video conferencing facilities and encourages government departments, agencies and the public sector to stimulate these new markets through leading by example.
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