Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the impact of the use of e-scooters on pedestrians.
Answered by Jesse Norman
Only e-scooters in Government-approved rental trials can be used legally.
Private e-scooters remain illegal to use on all public roads, cycle lanes and pavements, and rental e-scooters can only be used in national rental e-scooter trial areas. E-scooter trials are currently live in 23 areas across England and will run until 31 May 2024.
Safety for road users and pedestrians will always be a priority for the Department. In the guidance for the trials provided by the Department, it is advised that local authorities should ensure e-scooters do not become obstructive to pedestrians. The Department also recognises e-scooters may pose a particular challenge to those with disabilities. Operators and local authorities participating in the trials have been working with organisations representing disabled groups, such as the Royal National Institute of Blind People. Some of the outcomes have been designing parking racks, improved rider education and training, as well as a mandatory requirement for all e-scooters in the trial to be fitted with a horn or bell to warn other road users of their approach.
All e-scooters in the rental trials must have a horn or bell to warn other road users of their approach. Operators are also exploring installing sound or replicating artificial engine noise on their trial e-scooters to assist with detection.
Statistics on personal injury collisions involving e-scooters in Great Britain reported by police via the STATS19 system are available from 2020, with the latest provisional statistics for 2022. The number of reported injury collisions involving at least one e-scooter, involving a pedestrian casualty, or more than one vehicle, are shown in the table below.
Please note that a collision could involve both pedestrian casualties and multiple vehicles, in which case it could be counted more than once in the table. Statistics on collisions involving uninjured pedestrians are not collected.
Year | Total e-scooter collisions | Involving at least one pedestrian casualty | Involving another vehicle |
2020 | 460 | 57 | 377 |
2021 | 1352 | 227 | 1028 |
2022 (provisional) | 1369 | 226 | 1027 |
The Department has published an evaluation of the e-scooter trials covering the period from July 2020 to December 2021. This provided an assessment of the impact of our policies on trends in usage, including trip numbers. The evaluation findings are available here: www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-evaluation-of-e-scooter-trials-report.
As part of the trials evaluation, the Department has gathered information about modal shift. While the evaluation found that rental e-scooter journeys most commonly replaced walking journeys (42%), followed by private motor vehicles or taxis (21%), the proportion of walking journeys being replaced reduced over time, while the proportion of private motor vehicle or taxi journeys being replaced increased over time.
Active travel is at the heart of the Government’s agenda, and it is investing more in it than any previous Government. The Department wants cycling and walking to be the natural first choice for shorter journeys, helping to improve air quality and health while reducing congestion on our roads. The Department has set an ambitious vision that by 2030, half of all journeys in towns and cities are cycled or walked.
The Department estimates that 2% (1,091,823 people) of adults, equivalent to one million people aged 16+, owned an e-scooter in England as of June 20221 . This figure is from the Transport and Technology Tracker (June 2022; base = 3162). A 95 % confidence interval gives a range of 847,660 - 1,335,986 people age 16+ who own an e-scooter in England.
The Department is currently considering options for e-scooter regulations that would be enabled by new primary legislation for micromobility vehicles, which the Government intends to introduce when parliamentary time allows.
No decisions have been made, and we will consult on any new regulations before they come into force so that all interested parties have a chance to shape the new regime.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent estimate he has made of the number of privately-owned e-scooters.
Answered by Jesse Norman
Only e-scooters in Government-approved rental trials can be used legally.
Private e-scooters remain illegal to use on all public roads, cycle lanes and pavements, and rental e-scooters can only be used in national rental e-scooter trial areas. E-scooter trials are currently live in 23 areas across England and will run until 31 May 2024.
Safety for road users and pedestrians will always be a priority for the Department. In the guidance for the trials provided by the Department, it is advised that local authorities should ensure e-scooters do not become obstructive to pedestrians. The Department also recognises e-scooters may pose a particular challenge to those with disabilities. Operators and local authorities participating in the trials have been working with organisations representing disabled groups, such as the Royal National Institute of Blind People. Some of the outcomes have been designing parking racks, improved rider education and training, as well as a mandatory requirement for all e-scooters in the trial to be fitted with a horn or bell to warn other road users of their approach.
All e-scooters in the rental trials must have a horn or bell to warn other road users of their approach. Operators are also exploring installing sound or replicating artificial engine noise on their trial e-scooters to assist with detection.
Statistics on personal injury collisions involving e-scooters in Great Britain reported by police via the STATS19 system are available from 2020, with the latest provisional statistics for 2022. The number of reported injury collisions involving at least one e-scooter, involving a pedestrian casualty, or more than one vehicle, are shown in the table below.
Please note that a collision could involve both pedestrian casualties and multiple vehicles, in which case it could be counted more than once in the table. Statistics on collisions involving uninjured pedestrians are not collected.
Year | Total e-scooter collisions | Involving at least one pedestrian casualty | Involving another vehicle |
2020 | 460 | 57 | 377 |
2021 | 1352 | 227 | 1028 |
2022 (provisional) | 1369 | 226 | 1027 |
The Department has published an evaluation of the e-scooter trials covering the period from July 2020 to December 2021. This provided an assessment of the impact of our policies on trends in usage, including trip numbers. The evaluation findings are available here: www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-evaluation-of-e-scooter-trials-report.
As part of the trials evaluation, the Department has gathered information about modal shift. While the evaluation found that rental e-scooter journeys most commonly replaced walking journeys (42%), followed by private motor vehicles or taxis (21%), the proportion of walking journeys being replaced reduced over time, while the proportion of private motor vehicle or taxi journeys being replaced increased over time.
Active travel is at the heart of the Government’s agenda, and it is investing more in it than any previous Government. The Department wants cycling and walking to be the natural first choice for shorter journeys, helping to improve air quality and health while reducing congestion on our roads. The Department has set an ambitious vision that by 2030, half of all journeys in towns and cities are cycled or walked.
The Department estimates that 2% (1,091,823 people) of adults, equivalent to one million people aged 16+, owned an e-scooter in England as of June 20221 . This figure is from the Transport and Technology Tracker (June 2022; base = 3162). A 95 % confidence interval gives a range of 847,660 - 1,335,986 people age 16+ who own an e-scooter in England.
The Department is currently considering options for e-scooter regulations that would be enabled by new primary legislation for micromobility vehicles, which the Government intends to introduce when parliamentary time allows.
No decisions have been made, and we will consult on any new regulations before they come into force so that all interested parties have a chance to shape the new regime.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he had with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on improving active travel routes to encourage use for leisure activities.
Answered by Jesse Norman
Officials from the Department and Active Travel England work closely with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, and Sport England on these and other matters. I also recently met with Tim Hollingsworth, Chief Executive of Sport England, to discuss future opportunities for joint working. The Government’s latest round of active travel funding, managed by Active Travel England, has supported £200 million worth of active travel routes in both urban and rural areas. The funding allocations were announced on 19 May and are available online, at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/millions-of-people-to-benefit-from-200-million-to-improve-walking-and-cycling-routes .https://www.gov.uk/government/news/millions-of-people-to-benefit-from-200-million-to-improve-walking-and-cycling-routes
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the potential effect of the provision of bicycles through active travel schemes on people's physical fitness.
Answered by Jesse Norman
I met with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and the Chief Medical Officer in May, alongside the CEO of Active Travel England, to discuss how the departments can work together in promoting active travel and realise its health benefits. The departments will continue to work together on a number of projects to support this shared goal.
The Department for Transport has already announced £13.9 million of funding for 11 Active Travel Social Prescribing pilots in local authorities across England. These pilots are being managed by Active Travel England and will provide a range of non-clinical services to enable active travel, including cycle libraries and cycle loans.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps to ensure that sustainable transport planning is a priority in building transport infrastructure on new development sites.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The National Planning Policy Framework is clear that transport issues, including opportunities to promote walking, cycling and public transport, should be considered from the earliest stages of plan-making and when considering development proposals.
As committed in the Transport Decarbonisation Plan, the Government is embedding transport decarbonisation principles in spatial planning and across transport policymaking to ensure that new development is designed in a way that promotes sustainable travel choices. This year, Active Travel England has been established as a statutory consultee in the planning system and will help planning authorities in their work to implement good active travel design. Additionally, the Government is taking forward updates to the Manual for Streets guidance to encourage a more holistic approach to street design which assigns higher priority to the needs of pedestrians, cyclists and public transport.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of reducing the bus cap to match London bus ticket prices.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The Department for Transport’s interim report evaluating the first month of the £2 bus fare cap found that 10% of survey respondents stated that they were making more bus journeys since the scheme started, and around a third felt that the fare cap had had a positive impact on their cost of living. The report has been published on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publicati ons/evaluation-of-the-2-bus-fare-cap . A survey conducted by Transport Focus of over 1,000 people also reported that 11% of respondents stated that they were using the bus more as a result of the cap.
Nationally reducing the fare cap still further would come at a high cost to the taxpayer. It should be noted that TfL have recently increased fares.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what impact the £2 bus ticket cap has had on bus usage.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The Department for Transport’s interim report evaluating the first month of the £2 bus fare cap found that 10% of survey respondents stated that they were making more bus journeys since the scheme started, and around a third felt that the fare cap had had a positive impact on their cost of living. The report has been published on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publicati ons/evaluation-of-the-2-bus-fare-cap . A survey conducted by Transport Focus of over 1,000 people also reported that 11% of respondents stated that they were using the bus more as a result of the cap.
Nationally reducing the fare cap still further would come at a high cost to the taxpayer. It should be noted that TfL have recently increased fares.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of providing free bus travel to people aged under 25.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
Previous initial analysis estimated that providing free travel on buses for 16-18 –year-olds across England (outside London) would cost around £500m per year. The population of 16–18-year-olds in England outside London is 1.6 million per the 2021 Census, whereas the respective population of 16–25-year-olds is 5.6 million. The Government currently has no plans to progress this suggestion.
We have taken broader action to make fares more affordable. We are investing in the bus sector to deliver the ambitions of the National Bus Strategy to make bus services more reliable and cheaper. We have allocated over £1 billion of funding for English Local Transport Authorities outside London to support the delivery of Bus Service Improvement Plans (BSIP), of which funding can be used to introduce measures which reduce bus fares for under 25s. For example, we recently confirmed £45.6 million funding for the North East and North of Tyne Combined Authorities to deliver their BSIP, in addition to the initial investment of £117.8 million. Thanks to this funding, Transport North East has launched a £1 fare for the under 22s and the North East Joint Transport Committee agreed to provide free travel passes for 18 to 25 year old care-experienced people.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make it his policy to conduct a pilot programme of free bus travel for under 25 year olds.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
Previous initial analysis estimated that providing free travel on buses for 16-18 –year-olds across England (outside London) would cost around £500m per year. The population of 16–18-year-olds in England outside London is 1.6 million per the 2021 Census, whereas the respective population of 16–25-year-olds is 5.6 million. The Government currently has no plans to progress this suggestion.
We have taken broader action to make fares more affordable. We are investing in the bus sector to deliver the ambitions of the National Bus Strategy to make bus services more reliable and cheaper. We have allocated over £1 billion of funding for English Local Transport Authorities outside London to support the delivery of Bus Service Improvement Plans (BSIP), of which funding can be used to introduce measures which reduce bus fares for under 25s. For example, we recently confirmed £45.6 million funding for the North East and North of Tyne Combined Authorities to deliver their BSIP, in addition to the initial investment of £117.8 million. Thanks to this funding, Transport North East has launched a £1 fare for the under 22s and the North East Joint Transport Committee agreed to provide free travel passes for 18 to 25 year old care-experienced people.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on the potential merits of the North Yorkshire Mayor having responsibility for North Yorkshire buses.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
My Department worked closely with DLUHC and York and North Yorkshire councils to agree the devolution deal for the area which was announced last summer. The deal committed to creating a new York & North Yorkshire Combined Authority which will take on existing Local Transport Authority responsibilities for buses for the area and unlock bus franchising powers for the elected Mayor, should they choose to use them. The devolution deal is subject to ratification by all partners and the statutory requirements referred to within the deal document, including local consent and Parliamentary approval of the implementing secondary legislation. My officials continue to work with DLUHC and the councils to take this forward.