VANS and lorries will be banned from making deliveries into city centres and replaced with fleets of environmentally-friendly electric cargo vehicles, under new plans being drawn up by the UK Government.

Britain is facing a green “transport revolution” with the government determined to find ways of reducing congestion and cutting pollution.

With the UK having more than four million vans and lorries on its roads, whose numbers are set to increase with more online sales, it has been suggested they are replaced with a range of electronic transport, including vans, cargo bikes, quadricycles and micro vehicles, to transform the last-mile deliveries across congested cities.

The idea forms part of Whitehall’s “Last Mile and Future of Mobility” document, published today, calling for ways to tackle the problem of traffic in city centres.

UK ministers say the documents offer a glimpse into how technology could transform the country’s transport system, making it safer, more accessible and greener than ever.

The Department for Transport suggested travel around the UK could dramatically change with the “introduction of flying vehicles or widespread use of self-driving cars,” all while travel data would help to deliver better journeys.

It noted that the potential increased use of self-driving vehicles and shared travel could also transform how city centres look in years to come. For example, the majority of parking spaces could be removed, opening areas up for redevelopment and potentially hundreds of thousands of new urban homes.

The Government documents fire the starting gun on its Future of Mobility Grand Challenge, which aims to make the UK the world leader in the movement of goods, services and people.

The work is all part of the Conservative administration’s Industrial Strategy and, said the Department, it could help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, make travel safer, improve accessibility, and present enormous economic opportunities for the UK.

As part of this, the Government today also confirmed more than £12m for six projects working on simulation and modelling to aid the development of Connected and Autonomous Vehicles. The capability, it explained, would be essential for developing, testing and proving the safety of the vehicles.

Jesse Norman, the Transport Minister, said: “The UK has a long and proud history of leading the world in transport innovation and our Future of Mobility Grand Challenge is designed to ensure this continues.

“We are on the cusp of an exciting and profound change in how people, goods and services move around the country which is set to be driven by extraordinary innovation.

“This could bring significant benefits to people right across the country and presents enormous economic opportunities for the UK, with autonomous vehicles sales set to be worth up to £52 billion by 2035.

“This call for evidence marks just one stage in our push to make the most of these inviting opportunities,” he added.

Today’s publication precedes a full Future of Urban Mobility Strategy, which is due to be published by the end of the year.

It coincides with the announced of the appointment of Ian Robertson, the Chief Executive of BMW UK, as Business Champion to help advise, shape and develop the Future of Mobility Grand Challenge.

He said: “A transport revolution in the way people and goods move around will see more changes in the next ten years than the previous hundred.

“As the Future of Mobility Grand Challenge Business Champion, I’m looking forward to working with the Government to help the UK build on its existing strengths and capitalise on that opportunity.”

The Department pointed out how changes in society had already changed the way people were travelling such as people driving less overall, fewer workers commuting, a growing elderly population and the number of people living in urban areas increasing.

As a result, the Government has used its call for evidence to outline trends which could shape the future of transport in the UK. These include:

*Cleaner transport. The Government has already outlined its intention for all new cars and vans to be effectively zero emission by 2040. Falling battery prices, improvements in electric vehicle technology and the development of alternative fuels are not only reducing emissions from existing modes of transport but paving the way for the uptake of new creations.

*Automation. Improved sensors, increased computing power and the exciting potential of artificial intelligence are leading to increased automation in transport. The Government has already said it expected to see fully self-driving cars on UK roads by 2021 and the benefits of automated transport could include increased safety, improved accessibility and better use of urban space.

*Data and connectivity. Internet-connected vehicles can not only link with each other, helping to avert congestion on roads but also traffic lights and motorway signs. This could not only reduce traffic but also improve air quality.

*New modes. UK cities are already pioneering the use of drones to support emergency services and improve infrastructure inspections. But the introduction of aerial passenger vehicles could also appear in urban areas, while the lines between taxis and buses could blur, with more on demand transport.

*Shared mobility. More use of shared transport could reduce congestion and emissions and examples are likely to include commercial ride sharing, car rental services where users rent from one another and shared use bikes.

*Changing consumer attitudes. Technology is also changing the way people expect to be able to travel with more users expecting to be able to plan, book and pay for transport through their phones.

*New business models. New business models are beginning to emerge, such as Mobility as a Service. Maas can make payment easier, provide better real-time information and allow passengers to book multiple modes of transport with just one click.