Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to improve reporting mechanisms for women cyclists who experience (a) abuse and (b) intimidation.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Everyone should have the right to travel in safety, and abuse or intimidation of any kind is entirely unacceptable.
In respect of women, including those who cycle, the Department for Transport is working with the Home Office on their plans for a cross-government strategy to reduce violence against women and girls. This is due to be published later this year.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what (a) support and (b) funding is available from her Department for cycle training schemes that (i) are specifically tailored for girls and (ii) have a minimum threshold for the number of girls participating.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Active Travel England provides funding to The Bikeability Trust to deliver Bikeability cycle training to children in England (outside London). In addition, active travel revenue funding can be used by local authorities to deliver cycle training and engagement programmes outside of Bikeability. It is for local authorities to decide on targeted engagement programmes for underrepresented groups, such as women and girls.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport on 28 January 2025 in the debate on Road Safety: Young Drivers, Official Report, Column 49-51WH, which (a) channels, (b) content providers and (c) mechanisms other than LADBible her Department is using to increase awareness of the THINK! campaign among young drivers.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Government's flagship road safety campaign, THINK!, aims to reduce the number of people killed and seriously injured on our roads.
THINK! plays an important role in raising awareness of risky driving behaviours amongst young people. This has recently included campaigns on drink-driving and speeding on rural roads, two of the leading factors in fatal collisions and areas where young male drivers are overrepresented in the casualty data.
THINK! campaigns target digital channels and platforms that are frequently used by young people. This includes paid advertising on social media (Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Reddit and being amongst the first campaigns to trial advertising on TikTok as part of a Government pilot), digital audio (including podcasts, digital radio and music streaming apps such as Spotify), online video (for example on Youtube, Twitch and via digital display advertising), and working with popular online influencers in collaboration with LADbible. THINK! also uses traditional channels, such as broadcast radio, cinema and out-of-home advertising, to target environments and situations that are contextually relevant to young drivers (i.e. around or during an actual car journey).
THINK! frequently uses interactive and innovative approaches to drive up ad engagement with young men. Recent examples include an interactive Snapchat lens for a drink drive campaign, a ‘perception test’ game to illustrate the dangers of speeding, and a gamified quiz to highlight the facts on seatbelt usage.
The THINK! campaign partnered with alcohol brands, including Heineken and Eisberg, to launch the THINK! 0% platform in December 2024, reaching young drivers at the point-of-sale in pubs and bars and encouraging them to choose a non-alcoholic alternative if driving.
Throughout the year, the THINK! campaign engages with local stakeholders and partners, including road safety officers, local councils and police forces to promote road safety and support further education on the subject of dangerous driving.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the oral contribution by the Minister for the Future of Roads in the debate on Road Safety: Young Drivers on 28 January 2025, Official Report, column 49WH, which interventions examined by the Driver2020 research project will be taken forward.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
As work progresses on the new road safety strategy, we are considering measures, including those in the Driver2020 project, and assessing their potential impacts to tackle the root causes of young driver collisions without unfairly penalising young drivers.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the oral contribution by the Minister for the Future of Roads in the debate on Road Safety: Young Drivers on 28 January 2025, Official Report, column 49WH, whether she has made an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of international evidence on (a) lower or zero alcohol limits and (b) minimum learning periods for young drivers.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
As work progresses on the new road safety strategy, we are considering measures, including those in the Driver2020 project, and assessing their potential impacts to tackle the root causes of young driver collisions without unfairly penalising young drivers.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport on 28 January 2025 in the debate on Road Safety: Young Drivers, Official Report, Column 49-51WH, what steps she is taking to support local-level interventions to make roads safer.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
As work progresses on the new road safety strategy, we are considering measures, including those in the Driver2020 project, and assessing their potential impacts to tackle the root causes of young driver collisions without unfairly penalising young drivers.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has had recent discussions with the Under 17 Car Club on the geographical scope of the Pathfinder Initiative; and whether she has plans to hold such discussions.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Secretary of State for Transport has not had any discussions with the Under 17 Car Club but the Government welcomes initiatives to help young people drive safely.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make it her policy to bring forward legislative proposals to ensure that all cars should include an emergency glass hammer.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The carriage by motorists of emergency equipment such as first aid kits, warning triangles, high visibility jackets and escape tools is not generally prescribed in law. The Highway Code recommends the carriage of many items of emergency equipment and my officials are currently working on proposals to clarify the Highway Code recommendations including adding the carriage of an appropriate escape tool.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the document entitled Draft terms of reference for the Anti-Muslim Hatred Working Group, what updates his Department has provided on relevant developments in its area of work to that group since 2019.
Answered by Anthony Browne
Ministers and officials have regular discussions with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities over a range of issues. More broadly, I refer the hon. Member to the answer of 1 March 2024, Official Report, PQ 16019 on tackling anti-Muslim hatred.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has had discussions with (a) London Electric Vehicle Company (LEVC) Ltd and (b) the wider industry on the repair capacity for (i) LEVC black cabs and (ii) other electric taxis.
Answered by Guy Opperman
The Department has regular engagement with LEVC and the wider industry on a range of topics, most recently including manufacturing trends and the extension to the Plug In Taxi Grant. However, matters relating to electric taxi repairs have not been raised.
The Government recognises there will be a transitional period for the repair sector as the UK moves to zero emission road transport. Although not specifically on electric taxis, the Government funded research by Thatcham to understand the impact of the electric vehicle transition on the repair sector, which was published in 2023. The number of EV qualified technicians has risen rapidly. Data from the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) suggests there are 52,000 qualified electric vehicle technicians in the UK, which is 22% of all UK technicians. This is relative to 3.8% of all vehicles in the UK being a plug-in electric vehicle.