This week, Chesham and Amersham MP Cheryl Gillan writes exclusively to Bucks Free Press readers: 

As many of you will know, transport is an issue that has long been close to my heart.

While it might be HS2 that springs to mind, one of my major projects as Secretary of State for Wales was working towards the electrification of rail lines in South Wales and, more recently, I have taken on the role of Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Electric and Automated Vehicles.

Some of you may have seen my question to the Prime Minister last November about electric vehicle infrastructure – namely charging points in the constituency, of which there are only four.

The benefits of electric cars for air quality and climate change are self-evident, and while we are doing well at increasing uptake, we still have a long way to go to match countries like Norway, where half of new car registrations last year were hybrid or electric.

Whilst espousing the benefits of electric cars, automated cars deserve some attention. It may seem far-flung and futuristic to imagine a world of self-driving cars on our roads, but trials have already started in Coventry, Greenwich, and Bristol, to name a few.

There will certainly be a delay before we see fully automated cars navigating our roads – improving congestion (they can drive closer together more safely) and road safety (it is estimated that between 75 per cent and 95 per cent of all road traffic accidents are caused by human error), but the ball is rolling – and it is expected to progress.

What I wish to highlight on future autonomous vehicles is, I think, a much overlooked benefit – the opportunities for the disabled and the elderly.

We probably all know someone who has had to face the hard decision to stop driving due to age, which leaves many feeling isolated, and the increased freedom for those who cannot drive due to disabilities will be – for some – a new lease of life.

This technology opens up many opportunities, and I look forward to seeing the automated transport sector empowering more people.

That is what I call progress.