Asked by: Lord Cameron of Dillington (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they will respond to the Policy design features for the car and van zero emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate consultation, which ran from 7 April to 10 June.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton
Responses to this consultation are being analysed and the Government will publish its response, and a full regulatory proposal and cost benefit analysis, in due course. The Government remains committed to targets entering into force from 01 January 2024.
Asked by: Lord Cameron of Dillington (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government in which year they currently expect the dualling of the A303 along the Ilminster by-pass and the A358 link to the M5 to be completed.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The Road Investment Strategy sets out an intention to upgrade all remaining single carriageway sections of the A303 between the M3 and the A358 to dual carriageway standard as part of a long-term commitment to creating a new Expressway to the South West. We are starting this process with three major improvements: A303 Amesbury to Berwick Down (Stonehenge), A303 Sparkford to Illchester and the A358 Taunton (M5) to Southfields. Construction of these schemes is expected to start in the first Road Period (by 1 April 2020), depending on planning, and completion is expected by the middle of the 2020s at the latest. We would expect subsequent Road Investment Strategies to fund the remaining improvements, such as to the Illminster by-pass.
Asked by: Lord Cameron of Dillington (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government in which year they currently expect the dualling of the A303 around Stonehenge to be completed.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The Road Investment Strategy sets out an intention to upgrade all remaining single carriageway sections of the A303 between the M3 and the A358 to dual carriageway standard as part of a long-term commitment to creating a new Expressway to the South West. We are starting this process with three major improvements: A303 Amesbury to Berwick Down (Stonehenge), A303 Sparkford to Illchester and the A358 Taunton (M5) to Southfields. Construction of these schemes is expected to start in the first Road Period (by 1 April 2020), depending on planning, and completion is expected by the middle of the 2020s at the latest. We would expect subsequent Road Investment Strategies to fund the remaining improvements, such as to the Illminster by-pass.
Asked by: Lord Cameron of Dillington (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the current timetables for the development of the A303 from Stonehenge to Taunton, including making it a dual carriageway.
Answered by Baroness Kramer - Liberal Democrat Lords Spokesperson (Treasury and Economy)
The Road Investment Strategy (RIS) stated our intention to upgrade all remaining sections of the A303 between the M3 and the A358 to dual carriageway standard, together with creating a dual carriageway link from the M5 at Taunton to the A303, as part of a commitment to creating a new Expressway to the South West.
We have started this process by developing and starting work on major improvements during the first Road Period between 2015/16 and 2020/21.
The upgrading of further sections of the route to dual carriageway standard will be developed for delivery in subsequent Road Periods.
The Highways Agency is currently refining and assessing the range of identified options to understand their traffic, environmental and economic impacts.
The Agency is in dialogue with established key stakeholders, including English Heritage and The National Trust, and engagement will continue throughout the development process. Across all schemes:
- Public engagement is expected to take place between 2016 and 2017;
- Recommendations on preferred route options is anticipated to be between late 2017 and 2018;
- Depending upon the progress of the statutory process, start on site aims to be between 2019 and early 2021.