Transport theme policies and campaigns

Promoting safe, efficient transport systems with minimal congestion is important for personal mobility and transportation of goods.

Yet the transport sector damages our environment: it produces over a quarter of UK CO2 emissions. Engineering is therefore key to meeting the requirements of increased mobility, lower carbon emissions and improving air quality.

Our priority areas of interest are:

• Encouraging an integrated and multi-modal perspective that breaks down the old thinking of each transport mode in isolation
• Supporting the introduction of new technologies that can reduce emissions and increase efficiency of all vehicles
• Encouraging a better balance of transport usage (passenger and freight),  to favour the most environmentally friendly solutions and promote increased use of public transport 
• Understanding of the impact of a growing and ageing population, demand for different modes of transportation and the effect of pricing
• Influencing policy so that new developments can progress to market in a timely and safe fashion, such as autonomous vehicles and low carbon vehicles

We give an independent engineering perspective on transport issues to the media, government and policy makers. We have a unique role in helping the public understand the engineering behind transport issues, particularly when things go wrong.  

The UK is a world leader in Motorsport, which has an important role in fostering new technologies and materials. These breakthroughs the move through to mainstream manufacturing, benefitting our automotive industry.

We work closely with aerospace, automotive, marine and rail companies to understand their labour and skills requirements, and actively support apprenticeship schemes. We support are keen to boost initiatives that encourage young people into engineering, particularly Formula Student.