Asked by: Euan Stainbank (Labour - Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when she plans to publish the Ten-year pipeline of projected bus orders.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
My Department is planning to publish the ten-year pipeline of projected orders shortly.
Asked by: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of her Department’s guidance on following distances.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Rule 126 of The Highway Code includes guidance on stopping distances and states that drivers and riders ‘should leave enough space between you and the vehicle in front so that you can pull up safely if it suddenly slows down or stops’ and ‘…never to get closer than the overall stopping distances’ set out on pages 52 and 53 of the code. Tailgating can be considered careless driving, which is a fixed penalty offence.
All road users are required to comply with road traffic law. If road users do not adopt a responsible attitude or if their use of the highway creates an unsafe environment, or causes nuisance, they may be committing a number of offences that can make them liable for prosecution.
Enforcement of the law is a matter for the police who will decide on the evidence of each individual case, whether an offence has been committed and the appropriate action to take.
In addition to the Highway Code, National Highways uses Variable Message Signs on motorways to encourage appropriate lane discipline. The Government’s THINK! road safety campaign also provides information to road users to encourage safer behaviour. Enforcement of road traffic law is a matter for the police.
In June 2025, National Highways ran a communications campaign on this issue, using media, digital and social media. The aim was to align the uncomfortable feeling of being followed too closely in everyday life with the similar feelings this evokes when being tailgated on a high-speed road, namely discomfort and anxiety.
Following the success of that campaign, and the genuine media interest in this topic, National Highways is planning a new communications campaign to launch next month. This low / no cost campaign moment will educate drivers on the dangers of tailgating and aim to change behaviour by looking at driving etiquette and evoking England’s love for manners and respect.
The campaign will launch w/c 23rd February across owned and earned media channels. It will involve:
National Highways adheres to the Government Communication Service evaluation framework and will be measuring the success of this campaign wave through a series of measures, including social listening tools and Media Equivalent Value.
Asked by: Jerome Mayhew (Conservative - Broadland and Fakenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 19 January 2026 to Question 105895, what the assumed payback period is for the major technology investments cited for Network Rail in delivering efficiency savings; and in which financial year cumulative efficiency savings are expected to exceed cumulative investment costs.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
Asked by: Jerome Mayhew (Conservative - Broadland and Fakenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 19 January 2026 to Question 105895, what proportion of the £424 million efficiency saving attributed to regulated settlements in 2028–29 is expected to be delivered by Network Rail alone.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the average waiting time was for a practical car driving test at Swindon Test Centre in the most recent month for which data is available.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
Asked by: Samantha Niblett (Labour - South Derbyshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what research her Department is undertaking into developing alternative vehicle fuels, such as synthetic and bio fuels.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when will the Department publish further guidance on how cycling and walking will be reflected in delivery of the Road Safety Strategy.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
On 7 January 2026 we published our new Road Safety Strategy, setting out our vision for a safer future on our roads for all. Roads aren’t just for motorists; it is vitally important that everyone using our roads is kept safe including cyclists and pedestrians.
The strategy builds upon ongoing work in this area. On 12 December 2025 we announced that we are allocating £626 million for local authorities from 2026-27 to 2029-30 to deliver walking, wheeling and cycling schemes, enough for 500 miles of new walking and cycling routes and 170,000 more active trips per day.
This is in addition to the almost £300 million funding for active travel in 2024/25 and 2025/26 which we announced in February 2025. This will help local authorities to provide high-quality and easily accessible active travel schemes across England and will enable more children to walk and cycle to school.
In November 2025 the Government launched a consultation to develop the third Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy (CWIS3). The consultation sought the views of stakeholders on a national vision, statutory objectives and underlying performance indicators. The consultation closed on the 15th of December, and the Government is now considering the responses to the consultation with the final strategy to be published in the spring.
Asked by: Stephen Flynn (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 3 December 2025 to Question 94407 on Electric Vehicles: Charging Points, for what policy reason cross-pavement solutions were selected.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Government supports the roll-out of cross-pavement solutions to ensure more drivers without off-street parking can benefit from cheaper and more convenient domestic electric vehicle charging, which concurrently reduces the risk of trailing cables on the public highway.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what role will organisations representing cyclists and pedestrians play in shaping the work of the Road Safety Board and Expert Advisory Panel.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
On 7 January 2026 we published our new Road Safety Strategy, setting out our vision for a safer future on our roads for all.
The Strategy sets an ambitious target to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured on British roads by 65% by 2035. Delivery of the Strategy will be supported and monitored by a new Road Safety Board chaired by the Minister for Local Transport. This will be supported by an Expert Advisory Panel, which will provide insight from those working directly with road users and communities.
The Board and Expert Advisory Panel are currently under development and decisions regarding membership and format will be made in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to support the building of a tram or light rail system in Coventry.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Local transport, including light rail, is largely devolved. It is for local transport authorities to determine whether a light rail or tram scheme represents an appropriate intervention to address any local mass transit challenge or opportunity.
The Chancellor announced the £15.6 billion Transport for City Regions (TCR) settlements for 9 eligible mayoral strategic authorities on 4 June 2025. As part of this announcement West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), which includes Coventry, was allocated £2.4 billion in local transport funding through to 2031/32. This investment aims to drive economic growth and improve access to opportunities in the region. While the Government sets the overarching objectives for the programme, TCR is devolved and Mayors have discretion over how to allocate these funds to meet local transport priorities, including mass transit.
WMCA has previously allocated £5m from its devolved City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS) to progress a mass transit route options study in Coventry.