Transport for London Commissioner Andy Lord has warned that driverless cars planned for the city will only be permitted if they don’t lead to a rise in congestion.
Speaking at the Interchange 2026 event in Manchester, Mr Lord said: “Clearly, there are significant safety benefits, but also we’ve got to balance that with the risk of further increasing congestion, and we must make sure that operators are dealing with safety and consumer rights in the right way.”
He pointed out that TfL has an “interesting” role in autonomous vehicles, in that it is both the regulator and licensee for taxi private hire, so any autonomous vehicles that are intended for commercial use will have to meet the regulations and legislation.
“London is the prime target for a number of those organisations. I look forward to working with them, but we’ve got to make sure we get the balance right,” he said.
He also discussed reducing congestion in London with the latest transport plan in including “the recently announced bold programme of work to cut congestion and transform how the capital’s streets operate over the next five years” and “This includes delivery systems and infrastructure upgrades to optimise traffic flow, improve safety and support sustainable travel, meaning that London will have the world’s most advanced traffic management system by the end of 2028,” and that “Our pioneering LaneRunner scheme will also get standardised across London’s boroughs to cut congestion and delays.”
He also promised to “reimagine” London’s bus network by “expanding the successful Superloop, to further improve quality bus connectivity across outer London,” and to introduce “new bus-priority technology, bus priority measures and world-leading traffic signal technology to cut delays and improve reliability.”
He concluded by saying: “I do know that London’s integrated transport network will only continue to grow in size, in intelligence and in resilience. With all of you here as allies, we can achieve our aspirations for London and the wider country, and will build on the successes of the past quarter century.”
(Picture – Highways News)
