As demand for consumer goods, travel and transport increases, public and freight transport providers will have to develop much stronger forms of collaboration to drive innovations that increase capacity, reduce costs and carbon emissions.
This is one of the key findings contained in a report published today by The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT), entitled Vision 2035.
Vision 2035 examines the prospects for Britain's heavily consumer dependent economy, and endeavours to forecast the evolution of the UK transport scene over the next quarter of a century, to understand the impacts that wider social progress will have on the roles and demands regarding both freight and passenger transport, and to identify the key policy instruments and investments that will be required in order for transport facilities and operations to serve society as effectively as possible. The report has been produced on behalf of the Institute by CILT's Public Policies Committee under the guidance of Project Leader, Michael Woods.
The logistics sector is already developing innovative ways of reducing the impact of road congestion on the supply chain. In the next 25 years, this drive for innovative partnerships should include the creation of collaborative 'super' supply chains encompassing the sharing of data, standardised business processes between operators and distributors, pooling fleets and warehousing capacity, and minimising the 'empty running' by lorries that are costly in terms of both fuel and emissions.
The Institute believes that the same powerful partnership potential applies in the public transport arena, especially between rail and bus and between bus and coach to provide more seamless journeys. Although substantial progress has been made in the past ten years to develop travel information, timetabling and integrated ticketing via a range of digital channels, these options are still in relative infancy and are patchy.
To achieve modal shift away from cars, to provide smarter travel choices for passengers in the increasingly digital-reliant age, the Institute believe that public transport providers will need to roll-out shared mobile and e-ticketing options to grow and sustain market share.
Practical collaboration could also help ensure that services are more market responsive to local needs and permit much more sophisticated personal travel planning, timetabling, information and payment.
Other key conclusions from the report include:
The need to press ahead with the proposed high speed North-South rail project.
The absolute necessity for increased public investment in transport infrastructure.
The prospects for new innovative high-tech developments designed to speed delivery, reduce carbon emissions and contain wasteful congestion.
Institute President, Peter Hendy CBE FCILT says: 'The importance of efficient and economic transport operations in the way we live our lives and for our industry in the future cannot be over-estimated. Effective passenger and freight transport will form a fundamental ingredient in our needs, welfare and prosperity, as our population grows and our economy develops.
'Vision 2035 has utilised the professional expertise of the CILT's membership of transport professionals in order to identify some of the options, challenges and prospects we face in planning our transport solutions for the future.
'The CILT is convinced that the nation needs an informed and constructive debate on how we navigate our transport policies through to 2035 and how we deliver for our children the transport and logistics services they will need. Vision 2035 represents our initial contribution to that process.'