Introduction
The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT UK) is a professional institution embracing all transport modes whose members are engaged in the provision of transport services for both passengers and freight, the management of logistics and the supply chain, transport planning, government and administration. Our principal concern is that transport policies and procedures should be effective and efficient, based on objective analysis of the issues and practical experience, and that good practice should be widely disseminated and adopted. The Institute has specialist forums, a nationwide structure of locally based groups and a Public Policies Committee which considers the broad canvass of transport policy.
The Transport Select Committee has called for evidence on several matters concerning Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CAVs). With a complex mix of existing road users, the introduction of any CAVs could have serious consequences, many of which may be unforeseen. There is a huge variety of considerations and, unfortunately, we all have only partial visibility of what may develop in the next 5 or 10 years, let alone by 2050.
As a result, CILT warmly welcomes the opportunity to provide evidence to add to the discussion and would be very willing to provide further information if useful. It has proved challenging to neatly divide up our response, so we have provided some general comments on commercial goods and passenger CAVs and then used some of the suggested headings in the call for evidence.
However, the one issue which emerges time and again is safety – of everything from IT systems through to the vehicle users, and pedestrians and bystanders. This issue dominates nearly all our other comments, but we have still found it necessary to add specific safety comments.