Autonomous vehicles: A primer for planners working in the UK

Reports in the media suggest that driverless taxis could begin operating in England as early as 2026. But what does the advent of autonomous vehicles mean for sustainable development across the UK? 

While there is uncertainty about exactly how autonomous vehicle technology, services, and infrastructure will develop, their advent may well produce planning requirements unlike anything the UK’s planning systems have handled before. Both the risks, from urban sprawl to congestion, and opportunities, including accessible public transport and the redevelopment of parking land, could be huge.

This primer, produced in partnership with the Institute for Driverless Transport, explores these emerging concepts, risks, and opportunities for planning in the UK. Given how early the technology is in its deployment, it does not aim to provide practice advice, but highlights issues for future consideration. 

What matters most is that RTPI members begin to think now about the place of autonomous vehicles in building healthy, prosperous and sustainable places - rather than the technology’s place in the built environment being shaped by market forces alone.