Asked by: Andrea Jenkyns (Conservative - Morley and Outwood)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress his Department has made on reversing the Beeching cuts and restoring stations in (a) East Ardsley and Thorpe and (b) more widely.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
The Government has pledged £500m to the Restoring Your Railway fund to reverse the Beeching cuts and restore lines and stations.
I understand that my Hon Friend has supported a bid to the Restoring Your Railway Ideas Fund for the restoration of a railway station in East Ardsley. The bid is currently being assessed and we expect to announce the outcomes in the summer.
Asked by: Andrea Jenkyns (Conservative - Morley and Outwood)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what financial and other support he is providing to local authorities to improve the condition of roads.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
The Department has allocated over £2.6 billion for local highways maintenance for the period 2020/21 to 2021/22 to local highways authorities in England, outside London.
Asked by: Andrea Jenkyns (Conservative - Morley and Outwood)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to improve cyclist safety through enhancements to road infrastructure and layout.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
The Government has announced ambitious plans for cycling and walking and has committed an unprecedented £2 billion of funding for active travel over the next 5 years. The details are set out in the Prime Minister’s Gear Change plan, published in July and can be viewed here: www.gov.uk/government/publications/cycling-and-walking-plan-for-england.
The detailed design of cycle lanes is a matter for individual local traffic authorities. Design advice for cycling infrastructure, including cycle lanes, can be found in Local Transport Note 1/20 ‘Cycle Infrastructure Design’ which is at:
www.gov.uk/government/publications/cycle-infrastructure-design-ltn-120.
The Government also published additional Network Management Duty guidance, which was updated in November 2020. This clearly sets out what the Government expects local authorities to do in making changes to their road layouts to encourage cycling and walking.
Asked by: Andrea Jenkyns (Conservative - Morley and Outwood)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he make an assessment of the potential merits on introducing (a) training and (b) public service advertisements for motorists on the safe use of smart motorways.
Answered by George Freeman
I want our motorways to be as safe as possible. That is why the Secretary of State asked the Department to carry out an evidence stocktake to gather the facts about the safety of smart motorways and make recommendations. The Department will present the findings of the stocktake shortly.
While I would not want to pre-judge the results of that work, what I can say is that we will continue to prioritise improving safety – making conditions safer for everyone on our roads. The Roads Minister will write to you as soon as the stocktake is completed to answer your specific question.
Asked by: Andrea Jenkyns (Conservative - Morley and Outwood)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of the renationalisation of Northern Rail.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
The financial impact on public funds from the Northern rail franchise being taken into public ownership on 1st March 2020 has not yet been finalised. Financial impacts will include any additional subsidy necessary to deliver current rail services above the cost contracted in 2015.
Asked by: Andrea Jenkyns (Conservative - Morley and Outwood)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department plans to take help avoid disruption to railway services due to high temperatures.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
The Transport Secretary recognises passengers need the certainty of reliable and safe journeys, and is determined to work with industry to improve performance on the railway. We are committed to spending over £48 billion on the railway over the next five years, with an emphasis on increasing the pace of renewing outdated infrastructure to improve reliability. Network Rail is already treating rails to enable them to cope with heat, and has been applying reflective paint to reduce the heat absorbed. Since 2003, these methods have decreased the number of rail buckling incidents by 83%. In addition, Network Rail is also looking to the longer term and has in place a weather resilience and climate change strategy to ensure the infrastructure can cope with climate change and short-term periods of extreme weather.
Asked by: Andrea Jenkyns (Conservative - Morley and Outwood)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if his Department will bring forward legislative proposals to permit the use of electric scooters on public roads.
Answered by George Freeman
The Department recognises that people want to take advantage of the opportunities lightweight personal vehicles such as electric scooters can offer. Ministers are actively looking at ways to provide a framework for UK leadership in transport technology and innovation, and safe and effective regulation.
The Future of Mobility: Urban Strategy, published on 19 March 2019 includes a Regulatory Review to address the challenges of ensuring our transport infrastructure and regulation are fit for the future.
The Strategy can be found at:
www.gov.uk/government/publications/future-of-mobility-urban-strategy
The Department will use the Regulatory Review to examine current legislation and determine from the evidence what is needed to make the necessary changes for a safe and healthy future. One strand of this will look at options for enabling micromobility devices (such as electric scooters), and a consultation will be issued in due course.
Asked by: Andrea Jenkyns (Conservative - Morley and Outwood)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to increase the rate of prosecution of dangerous foreign drivers.
Answered by Michael Ellis
Road traffic legislation applies to everyone using British roads, including drivers and vehicles from other countries. Any driver stopped by the police for motoring offences in the UK will continue to be punished, whether British or foreign.
The Cross Border Enforcement Directive (2015/413/EU) assists countries in the prosecution of foreign vehicle owners when that vehicle is suspected of committing one (or more) proscribed offence in another Member State. In Britain, we prosecute the driver for these offences.
Additionally, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) operates the graduated fixed penalty and financial deposit system to enforce road traffic law for commercial goods and passenger carrying vehicles. The system covers areas such as: brakes, steering and drivers’ hours. The DVSA issues fixed penalties for non-compliance and vehicles are prohibited from moving until the defect has been rectified. In 2018/2019, DVSA inspected a total of 198,045 vehicles at roadside checks, including 104,697 non-UK vehicles.