Transport for London (TfL), which is responsible for “keeping London moving”, has been urged to prepare for increased deployment of both airborne drones and ground-based droids by a report commissioned by the London transport committee. Titled “Future transport. How is London responding to technological innovation?”, the report’s answer to its own question is “not very well”. London has been caught “unaware by the application of new transport technology,” and has to do more to ensure that cargo and people keep moving. In his introductory remarks Keith Prince, chairman of the transport committee, adds “to some extent this may be inevitable, but it reinforces the need for effective monitoring and planning by the mayor and Transport for London”. The report says “TfL have been caught napping on the technology front and it’s time to wake up. Uber, then oBike are two examples of a poorly prepared regulator which seems to be making it up as they go along”. On the freight side the report sees drones as being a major disruptor. These include airborne drones and droids – driverless ground-based delivery robots. “In all likelihood drones will not remove a significant amount of freight traffic from our roads, and would only be suitable for the ‘last mile’ in the delivery chain. However, we do need more clarity on the likely scale of drone use,” states the report. It adds: “The controlled use of drones should be explored if risks can be minimised. “At present it is clear that planning for a future of increased drone use is not advanced. Airborne drones in particular need an effective control system to ensure they can deliver packages without being unsafe or causing excessive noise pollution. “Such a system may need to be integrated with control systems for other modes, such as CAVs (connected and autonomous vehicles)”.
