Asked by: Alistair Strathern (Labour - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent estimate his Department has made of the level of (a) car ownership, (b) bus usage (c) light rail usage, (d) train usage and (e) active travel in Mid Bedfordshire constituency.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
A) Car ownership
According to the Department’s vehicle statistics, there were 77,060 registered cars as at end-June 2023 in Mid Bedfordshire constituency.
Data for b) bus usage, c) light rail usage, d) train usage and e) active travel is not available for Mid Bedfordshire constituency as it is not collected at this level.
Asked by: Alistair Strathern (Labour - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the adequacy of (a) pothole repairs and (b) other maintenance of roads in Mid Bedfordshire constituency.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
We have recently published details of the very significant £8.3 billion extra road funding which will make an unprecedented transformation in the condition of our highways across the country. Bedford and Central Bedfordshire will receive an additional £0.47 million and £0.702 million respectively in both this financial year and the next as part of this. This is on top of the Department providing Bedford and Central Bedfordshire Councils with £4.39 million and £6.55 million respectively to maintain their local highway networks in 2023/24; this includes their share of the extra £200 million announced at Budget 2023.
It is up to each local highway authority to ensure that it is maintaining its roads appropriately and in accordance with its statutory under Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980.The Department strongly advocates a risk-based whole lifecycle asset management approach to local authority highways maintenance programmes and encourages good practice in highway maintenance through channels such as the Well Managed Highway Infrastructure Code of Practice, produced by the UK Roads Leadership Group (UKRLG).
Asked by: Alistair Strathern (Labour - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if the National Highways Agency will undertake a road safety audit of changes made to the off slip road of the M1 Junction 13.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
National Highways undertook a safety audit prior to the scheme to remove traffic signals at junction 13 of the M1 and they will be carrying out a post scheme road safety audit in the autumn of 2024, 12 months after the scheme’s completion. Any recommendations from the safety audit will be implemented as necessary.
Asked by: Alistair Strathern (Labour - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans his Department has to improve accessibility at Harlington station.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
We are assessing over 300 nominations for Access for All funding beyond 2024, including a nomination for Harlington railway station. If successful, the funding will create an obstacle free, accessible route from the station entrance to platforms. Successful nominations will be announced in due course.
Asked by: Alistair Strathern (Labour - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what funding his Department has allocated for accessibility works at Flitwick station.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Department has allocated sufficient funding to Network Rail to complete the scheme.
Asked by: Alistair Strathern (Labour - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has made an estimate of the number of accidents at the M1 junction 13 interchange in each of the last three years.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The number of personal injury collisions reported by police is collected via the STATS19 system, This records the road number and location of collisions but does not directly to assign them to the confines of a specific junctions.
Asked by: Alistair Strathern (Labour - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to improve bus services in Mid Bedfordshire constituency.
Answered by Mark Harper - Secretary of State for Transport
The Government recognises the importance of transport provision in rural areas and is committed to finding solutions which ensure that local communities in these areas have viable and improved transport services.
The Department for Transport is investing in the bus sector to deliver the ambitions of the National Bus Strategy to make bus services more reliable and cheaper. Over £1 billion was allocated to 34 Local Transport Authorities (LTAs) in the first phase of funding for LTAs to deliver their Bus Service Improvement Plans (BSIPs). All other LTAs received funding from the £160m Bus Service Improvement Plan Plus (BSIP+) fund announced in May 2023.
On 4 October, as part of Network North, we announced a further £1 billion from redirected HS2 funding to level up bus services in the North and Midlands via BSIP, making them more frequent, more reliable, cheaper, and easier to use. We are also extending the £2 bus fare cap until the end of 2024, meaning we are investing nearly £600 million in total to cap bus fares across England since the scheme was launched. On top of this, we have announced that a new uplift of 60% will be added to Community Transport Operators’ (CTOs) Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG) claims until 31 March 2025.
Central Bedfordshire received £3,724,719 in Government funding to make improvements set out in their BSIP up to March 2025 in the first phase of BSIP funding. They have also been allocated £700,914 in the second phase of BSIP+ funding up to March 2025.
Bedford Borough Council have been allocated £1,093,514 in the second phase of BSIP+ funding up to March 2025.
LTAs in receipt of BSIP and/or BSIP+ funding may use the funding to target it on the actions that they – and local operators through their Enhanced Partnership (where relevant) – believe will deliver the best overall outcomes in growing long term patronage, revenues and thus maintaining service levels, whilst maintaining essential social and economic connectivity for local communities
Asked by: Alistair Strathern (Labour - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to support local authorities provide access to bus services for remote communities in Mid Bedfordshire constituency.
Answered by Mark Harper - Secretary of State for Transport
The Government recognises the importance of transport provision in rural areas and is committed to finding solutions which ensure that local communities in these areas have viable and improved transport services.
The Department for Transport is investing in the bus sector to deliver the ambitions of the National Bus Strategy to make bus services more reliable and cheaper. Over £1 billion was allocated to 34 Local Transport Authorities (LTAs) in the first phase of funding for LTAs to deliver their Bus Service Improvement Plans (BSIPs). All other LTAs received funding from the £160m Bus Service Improvement Plan Plus (BSIP+) fund announced in May 2023.
On 4 October, as part of Network North, we announced a further £1 billion from redirected HS2 funding to level up bus services in the North and Midlands via BSIP, making them more frequent, more reliable, cheaper, and easier to use. We are also extending the £2 bus fare cap until the end of 2024, meaning we are investing nearly £600 million in total to cap bus fares across England since the scheme was launched. On top of this, we have announced that a new uplift of 60% will be added to Community Transport Operators’ (CTOs) Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG) claims until 31 March 2025.
Central Bedfordshire received £3,724,719 in Government funding to make improvements set out in their BSIP up to March 2025 in the first phase of BSIP funding. They have also been allocated £700,914 in the second phase of BSIP+ funding up to March 2025.
Bedford Borough Council have been allocated £1,093,514 in the second phase of BSIP+ funding up to March 2025.
LTAs in receipt of BSIP and/or BSIP+ funding may use the funding to target it on the actions that they – and local operators through their Enhanced Partnership (where relevant) – believe will deliver the best overall outcomes in growing long term patronage, revenues and thus maintaining service levels, whilst maintaining essential social and economic connectivity for local communities
Asked by: Alistair Strathern (Labour - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps to expedite the re-opening of the Marston Vale Rail Line.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Following the collapse of Vivarail in late 2022, WMT will reintroduce a partial train service on the Marston Vale Line on 20 November 2023. Initially, four services will run in each direction Monday-Fridays and services will be focused on the morning and afternoon peaks, with rail replacement buses continuing to operate at other times. West Midlands Trains aims to operate a full service from early 2024.
Asked by: Alistair Strathern (Labour - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department is taking steps to open a new railway station at Wixams Bedfordshire.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Bedford Borough Council are promoting and funding a new railway station at Wixams, in Bedfordshire.
The Department will continue to work with Bedford Borough Council in developing their plans for this scheme.