Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department is taking steps with National Highways to introduce new (a) signage and (b) road markings to improve visibility on the A34.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
National Highways is taking steps to improve visibility on the A34 through planned work on both new signage and road marking.
National Highways is currently developing a scheme to renew approximately 51 signage assets along the route, in addition to refreshing road markings on the A34 and its slip roads between the Chieveley Interchange and the junction with the M40.
Traffic signs on the A34 are inspected annually, alternating between one year as visual inspections and the second year as drive-through surveys measuring sign reflectivity. National Highways inspectors also patrol the length of the A34 at least twice a week, looking for obstructed signs or deteriorating road markings with any issues identified and raised as defects for attention.
This year, National Highways has so far carried out 1,053 soft estate works on the A34, including the clearance of vegetation and obstructions from sightlines at junctions, signage, footpaths, and technology equipment.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department is taking steps with National Highways to install LED cat’s eyes on the A34.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
National Highways is responsible for the maintenance and safety of the A34. The A34 has approximately 0.5 million metres of longitudinal road markings, with a legacy of associated road studs of various types. Surface-mounted road studs are typical, although more robust embedded studs are used where necessary, such as at centre lines near junctions.
LED flush solar road studs have already been installed at several locations on the A34, including around the West Ilsley, Chilton, Milton, Hinksey Hill, and Botley junctions, to improve nighttime visibility.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to help reduce the number of fatal cycling accidents on rural roads in West Dorset constituency.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
On 12 February, the Department and Active Travel England announced local authority allocations of the Consolidated Active Travel Fund. Of this funding, Dorset Unitary Authority has been awarded £774,233 in revenue and capital funding. It will be for the local authority to allocate this funding in line with local investment priorities, such as improving safety for cyclists in West Dorset.
The Government is committed to improving the safety of all road users, especially the most vulnerable such as pedestrians, horse riders and cyclists. This is a key priority for the Department which was reflected in the updated Highway Code in January 2022, with the implementation of a Hierarchy of Road Users.
We are committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads. The Department is developing our Road Safety Strategy and will set out more details in due course.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department is taking steps with the Mayor of London to help mitigate residential noise pollution from (a) the London Underground and (b) associated maintenance works.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Transport in London is devolved to the Mayor of London and Transport for London. They are responsible for the operation and maintenance of London Underground, including assessment of noise generated and any necessary mitigations.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of delivery drivers using e-bikes on other road users.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Only e-bikes that are fully compliant with the Electrically Assisted Pedal Cycle Regulations 1983 are legal to use on the roads.
I have previously written to the Chief Executives of food delivery companies, making clear that riders should be fully aware of the relevant legal requirements and that they should only be using safe and road legal e-bikes. This is in addition to guidance on safe use of e-bikes that has been published by the Government, most recently by the Department and Business Trade in their “Buy Safe, Be Safe” campaign.
Furthermore, the Government has tabled amendments to the Crime and Policing Bill to introduce new cycling offences. These new offices will tackle instances where victims have been killed or seriously injured by irresponsible cycle behaviour. These new offences will also ensure parity across the “motoring” offences framework. This is so that all road users, whether they are drivers or cyclists, whose behaviour results in the death or serious injury of another road user, will face the same penalties.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much her Department has spent on (a) social media promotions, (b) influencer marketing and (c) online advertising in the last 12 months.
Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Over the last 12 months, the Department for Transport has spent £830,731.27 on social media advertising and £1,488,420.01 on online advertising through the THINK! Road safety campaign.
This has been done to reach and influence the behaviours of our target audience of 17-24 males, who are four times more likely to be killed or seriously injured on the road than drivers aged 25 and over. Campaigns have tackled priority issues such as drink driving and speeding to reduce casualties and fatalities. All budgets have been scrutinised to ensure value for money, with behaviour change communications often a cost-effective way to support policy interventions, as well as being a core part of the safe-systems approach to road safety.
As part of the THINK! campaign to reduce speeding among young men, the department ran a media partnership with youth platform LadBible which involved working with two content creators as part of a wider partnership. However, we are unable to provide a cost breakdown on influencers specifically due to commercial sensitivities which could prejudice commercial interests. All spend in these areas are subject to the standard value for money assessments.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of bus services in rural areas in (a) Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency and (b) Hertfordshire.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The government recognises the importance of accessible, frequent and affordable bus services in keeping communities connected, including in rural areas. Buses in England outside London were deregulated by the Transport Act 1985 and at present are largely run on a commercial basis where the operator decides on routes and provision.
The government introduced the Bus Services (No.2) Bill on 17 December 2024 as part of its ambitious plan for bus reform. The Bill puts the power over local bus services back in the hands of local leaders and is intended to ensure bus services reflect the needs of the communities that rely on them, including in Harpenden and Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire more widely, and rural areas right across England.
In addition, the government has confirmed £955 million for the 2025 to 2026 financial year to support and improve bus services in England outside London. This includes £243 million for bus operators and £712 million to local authorities across the country, of which Hertfordshire County Council has been allocated £12.2 million. Local authorities can use this funding to introduce new bus routes, make services more frequent and protect crucial bus routes for local communities, including in rural areas.
The government has reaffirmed its commitment to bus services in this Spending Review by confirming continued funding each year from 26/27 to maintain and improve vital bus services, including taking forward bus franchising pilots, and extending the £3 bus fare cap until March 2027.
Asked by: Greg Smith (Conservative - Mid Buckinghamshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she is taking steps with Cabinet colleagues to help increase prosecutions of cyclists who jump red traffic lights.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Enforcement of traffic offences of this sort is a matter for the police. Those who cycle have a duty, like all road users, to behave in a safe and responsible manner and to follow the rules set out in The Highway Code.
It is already an offence for cyclists to cycle without due care and attention or without reasonable consideration for other road users.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing legislation or guidance to centralise data collection on licensed drivers' (a) immigration status and (b) criminal history.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Immigration Act 2016 prevents illegal working in the taxi and private hire vehicle sector, as either a driver or an operator. Licensing authorities are prohibited from issuing a licence to anyone who is disqualified by reason of their immigration status, and they discharge their duty by conducting immigration checks.
Being disqualified from holding a licence by reason of their immigration status means that the person is in the UK illegally, is not permitted to work, or is permitted to work, but is subject to a condition that prohibits them from holding a licence in this sector.
The requirement to check the immigration status of licence applicants is in addition to the ‘fit and proper’ test.
The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) provides access to criminal record information through its disclosure service. As at 1 April 2024, all authorities in England required an enhanced DBS security check for all drivers as part of their ‘fit and proper’ test. The statutory guidance issued by the Department for Transport to licensing authorities in 2020 recommends that when an individual has spent an extended period (3 or more continuous months) outside the UK, licensing authorities should seek or require applicants to provide where possible criminal records information or a certificate of good character from overseas to properly assess risk and support its decision-making process. This enables licensing authorities to make an informed decision when considering if a person is ‘fit and proper’ to hold a taxi or private hire vehicle driver.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when she plans to announce the outcomes of the Access For All mid-tier scheme.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
We have not currently sought new nominations for another round of mid-tier Access for All funding since 2020 and the successful outcomes were announced by the previous Government at the time.
We are carefully considering the best approach to the Access for All programme. This Government is committed to improving the accessibility of the railway and recognises the social and economic benefits this brings to communities. We are in the early stages of understanding the full implications of the Spending Review for the Access for All programme and will update stakeholders in due course.