Mixed signals on transport in King’s Speech

Rail announcemenyts are welcome, but clarity needed on road safety and e-scooters, says ITS UK's Max Sugarman

Intelligent Transport Systems UK (ITS UK), the industry association for the transport technology sector, has responded to today’s King’s Speech.

The government committed to 37 bills, including to develop Northern Powerhouse Rail, establish a new financing model for highways, regulatory sandboxes to test emerging technology and to continue legislation from the previous Parliament to establish Great British Railways and to better protect infrastructure against cyber-attacks. 

The King’s Speech contains some positive proposals for legislation, including progressing much needed infrastructure projects like Northern Powerhouse Rail and the Lower Thames Crossing, whilst reintroducing previous bills on cybersecurity and resilience and Great British Railways (GBR). These proposals will be welcomed by the transport tech sector.

However, we note the absence of legislation relating to the Road Safety Strategy and the long-term legal framework for e-scooters. Both remain important areas for the sector, and we would welcome further clarity from government on next steps to support progress towards the road safety ambitions set out earlier this year.

Max Sugarman is Intelligent Transport Systems UK