Asked by: Alberto Costa (Conservative - South Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the provision of improved warning signage for vehicle users on prominent cycling routes.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
The provision of traffic signs is the responsibility of local highway authorities and as such the Department has made no assessment of signs on the network. All traffic signs and road markings placed on a public highway must be either prescribed in the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2016, as amended, or authorised by the Secretary of State for Transport. The Department provides guidance to local authorities in the Traffic Signs Manual which can be viewed at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/traffic-signs-manual
Asked by: Alberto Costa (Conservative - South Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to improve road safety for cyclists on rural roads.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
In November 2018 we published the Government response to the Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy Safety Review which committed to update The Highway Code to improve safety for cyclists, pedestrians and horse riders. One of the proposals under consideration is the inclusion of safe passing distances which would also benefit cyclists on rural roads.
In July 2019, the Government published the Road Safety Statement 2019: a lifetime of road safety. This includes a two-year action plan to address a range of road safety issues which will improve safety for all road users including cyclists, including establishing a working group to address rural road safety issues.
Asked by: Alberto Costa (Conservative - South Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what support his Department is providing for the provision of new local cycling routes.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
On the 9th May the Government announced a £2 billion package of funding for cycling and walking over the next five years. £225 million will be available to local authorities this financial year for immediate measures including new cycle lanes, wider pavements and safer junctions. Indicative funding allocations from the £225 million have been published and funding will be provided in two tranches, subject to local authorities satisfying the Department that they have sufficiently ambitious and credible plans in place. Leicestershire has been indicatively allocated £300,000 for tranche one and £1,200,000 for tranche two.
Asked by: Alberto Costa (Conservative - South Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of the covid-19 outbreak on MOT testing.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
The effect of COVID-19 on vehicle testing has been under constant review as the situation has developed. As announced on 25th March, vehicle owners will be granted a 6-month exemption from MOT testing, enabling them to continue to travel to work where this absolutely cannot be done from home, or shop for necessities.
Asked by: Alberto Costa (Conservative - South Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to improve access to blue badge parking bays for people with disabilities.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
Local authorities are responsible for the administration of the Blue Badge scheme and for the provision of disabled parking bays in their areas, ensuring for example that there are sufficient numbers and that they are located in the right places. Local authorities are also responsible for the enforcement of all parking regulations, including those regarding disabled parking bays on-street (the scheme only applies to on-street parking and not to off-street car parks). They will be making their own arrangements for business continuity to ensure appropriate on-street parking enforcement continues.
To support the role that local authorities play, the Department has issued non-statutory guidance to local authorities in England on how to administer the scheme. This includes advice on how to use the powers provided to them in legislation to enforce on-street parking bays.
Asked by: Alberto Costa (Conservative - South Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans his Department has to electrify the Midland Mainline from London to Leicester.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
We are currently investing in the biggest upgrade of the Midland Main Line since it was completed in 1870. From December 2020, there will be faster journeys in the peak and more seats, with a fleet of brand new bi-mode trains starting service in 2022.
As part of the upgrade, electrification is currently planned to extend from London to Kettering in 2020, and subsequently Market Harborough, subject to design. Network Rail’s Traction Decarbonisation Network Strategy, currently being developed, will identify the other areas of the network likely to need electrification to decarbonise the railway.
Asked by: Alberto Costa (Conservative - South Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of guidelines for the provision of pedestrian crossings.
Answered by Grant Shapps
Provision of pedestrian crossings is a matter for local traffic authorities. In December 2019 the Department published updated guidance on pedestrian crossing assessment and design, in Chapter 6 of the Traffic Signs Manual. It is available to download from
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/traffic-signs-manual.
Asked by: Alberto Costa (Conservative - South Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the 2019 guidance on hidden disabilities and blue badge parking.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani
The Department for Transport will review the impact of the expanded criteria on the Blue Badge scheme 12 months after implementation.
In the first 3 months of the new criteria being in operation, 12,299 people in England who had applied using the non-visible condition criteria were awarded a badge.
Asked by: Alberto Costa (Conservative - South Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to improve road safety for guide dog users.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani
The Department provides guidance to local authorities on how to make streets safe and accessible for all users, including those with visual impairments. It has been carrying out research to inform possible revisions of two of its key guidance documents: Inclusive Mobility and Guidance on the use of Tactile Paving Surfaces. A collaborative project with the Scottish Government and Transport Scotland on inclusive street design is also underway. The Department will be providing further updates when the results of this research are available later this year.
Additionally, the Department’s two-year cycling and walking safety action plan, published in November 2018, included a commitment to review certain elements of The Highway Code to improve safety for vulnerable road users. The Department will consult on proposed changes to The Highway Code later this year.
Asked by: Alberto Costa (Conservative - South Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the charity sector continues to have access to airline charity fares.
Answered by Paul Maynard
The Government recognises the importance of charity fares provided by airlines to assist charitable organisations in performing charity work overseas. However, this is a commercial decision and a matter for individual airlines.