Asked by: Damian Hinds (Conservative - East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department are taking to improve the accessibility of streets for people with sight loss.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The design and maintenance of local streets is the responsibility of local authorities, who are bound by the Equality Act 2010 and the Public Sector Equality Duty to ensure their infrastructure meets the needs of all users, including people with sight loss. The Department for Transport provides local authorities with best practice guidance to support accessible street design.
The Department for Transport also works closely a range of stakeholders such as Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) and Guide Dogs to inform policy and guidance on issues such as tactile paving, pavement parking, and bus stop accessibility.
Asked by: Damian Hinds (Conservative - East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 8 May to Question HL6929 on Roads: Cameras, if she will issue guidance to (a) police and (b) local authorities on how roadside noise cameras may be used to tackle noise-related anti-social behaviour.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Department for Transport does not currently have plans to produce further guidance on noise cameras but is keeping up to date with any advancements in this technology.
It is ultimately for local authorities and the police to consider what the most appropriate enforcement routes may be for addressing issues with excessive vehicle noise within their area. The use of noise camera technology has already been taken forward by some local authorities.
Asked by: Damian Hinds (Conservative - East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what data her Department holds on trends in the level of usage of coach transport (a) over time and (b) by sector.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The National Travel Survey asks individuals how frequently they use different modes of transport. Reported frequency of use of coach travel is as follows:
Frequency of use of coach or express bus: England, 2003 onwards |
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| Less than once a year or never | Once or more per year but less than once a month | Once a month or more |
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2003 | 83% | 15% | 2% |
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2005 | 84% | 15% | 2% |
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2007 | 85% | 13% | 2% |
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2009 | 86% | 12% | 2% |
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2010 | 86% | 12% | 2% |
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2011 | 85% | 13% | 2% |
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2012 | 85% | 13% | 2% |
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2013 | 86% | 13% | 1% |
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2014 | 87% | 11% | 2% |
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2015 | 86% | 12% | 2% |
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2016 | 87% | 12% | 2% |
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2017 | 86% | 12% | 2% |
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2018 | 87% | 12% | 2% |
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2019 | 88% | 10% | 2% |
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2020 | 92% | 7% | 1% |
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2021 | 95% | 4% | 1% |
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2022 | 91% | 7% | 1% |
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2023 | 89% | 9% | 2% |
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These data are available only for the sector as a whole.
Asked by: Damian Hinds (Conservative - East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will work with the Secretary of State for Education to set a target for the proportion of children to have benefited from cycling proficiency training by the end of Year 6, including through the Bikeability programme.
Answered by Lucy Frazer
Since 2007 the Department for Transport has provided funding for over four million children in England, outside London, to learn safe cycling skills through Bikeability cycle training, and our manifesto commits us to extending cycle training to every child.
Asked by: Damian Hinds (Conservative - East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of amending the Advance Payment Code to empower local highway authorities to resolve unresolved section 38 Highways Act 1980 negotiations.
Answered by Karl McCartney
Local authorities are responsible for the setting their own design standards for their streets. It is not possible to design national standards as every community is different. It is entirely a matter for individual authorities to decide the standards for their network. The Department provides good practice guidance to assist local authorities in setting design standards
Where a developer obtains planning permission for a new development they will consider how or if they wish the roads on that development to be adopted. They may seek to have roads on that development adopted by entering into an agreement with the highway authority under the Highways Act 1980, or they may decide that their development will remain private and that the roads will not become public highway – for example as in a gated community.
Local authorities can use planning conditions or section 106 planning obligations to secure a commitment from developers to provide and maintain communal spaces and facilities. It is up to developers and local planning authorities to agree appropriate funding arrangements for developments with common areas or shared services. The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities are responsible for planning policy.
No assessment has been made of amending the advance payment code to resolve section 38 Highways Act 1980 negotiations. We have previously published an advice note on the process of adopting private roads into the public road network and an updated version is to be published shortly.
Asked by: Damian Hinds (Conservative - East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if officials in his Department will hold discussions with representatives of the Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning and Transport on standardising procedures and requirements across local highways authorities to increase the number of housing estate roads for adoption by specifying minimum adoption standards and enable developers to offer those roads for adoption.
Answered by Karl McCartney
Local authorities are responsible for the setting their own design standards for their streets. It is not possible to design national standards as every community is different. It is entirely a matter for individual authorities to decide the standards for their network. The Department provides good practice guidance to assist local authorities in setting design standards
Where a developer obtains planning permission for a new development they will consider how or if they wish the roads on that development to be adopted. They may seek to have roads on that development adopted by entering into an agreement with the highway authority under the Highways Act 1980, or they may decide that their development will remain private and that the roads will not become public highway – for example as in a gated community.
Local authorities can use planning conditions or section 106 planning obligations to secure a commitment from developers to provide and maintain communal spaces and facilities. It is up to developers and local planning authorities to agree appropriate funding arrangements for developments with common areas or shared services. The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities are responsible for planning policy.
No assessment has been made of amending the advance payment code to resolve section 38 Highways Act 1980 negotiations. We have previously published an advice note on the process of adopting private roads into the public road network and an updated version is to be published shortly.
Asked by: Damian Hinds (Conservative - East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will conduct and publish an analysis of the monthly costs of ownership and operation of electric cars compared to petrol and diesel cars, based on indicative model types and scenarios of usage.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
The Government has no current plans to publish such regular analysis. The monthly cost of electric vehicle ownership will depend on the vehicle type, the driver’s recharging pattern and usage.
We will continue to support industry and motorists to make the switch to zero emission vehicles. Phasing out the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans by 2030 will put the UK on course to be the G7 country that will decarbonise cars and vans fastest. We expect total cost of ownership to reach price parity during the 2020s, compared to petrol and diesel cars.
Asked by: Damian Hinds (Conservative - East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 7 October 2020 to Question 98205 on roads: noise, when his Department plans to publish the results of the initial trials of a prototype acoustic camera.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
Due to the pressures on the Department arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, and the necessity to temporarily redeploy staff, consideration of the research on the initial trials of a prototype acoustic camera has been re-phased.
The Government anticipates the results will be published in the summer.
Asked by: Damian Hinds (Conservative - East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what data his Department holds on trends and patterns in (a) vehicle noise measurements and (b) complaints about vehicle noise.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
The Department does not hold data on trends and patterns in vehicle noise measurements, but commissioned research in 2018 to better understand the prevalence of excessive vehicle noise and the options for reducing it.
The Department has seen an increase in the number of enquiries about vehicle noise over the past three years. It should be noted that this trend cannot be reliably linked to a change in individual vehicle noise levels or to the prevalence of excessively noisy vehicles due to the subjective nature of vehicle noise complaints.
Asked by: Damian Hinds (Conservative - East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to support the transition to electric vehicles in rural areas.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
This Government is going further and faster to decarbonise transport by phasing out the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans by 2030, and, from 2035, all new cars and vans must be zero emissions at the tailpipe. We want people across the country to have the opportunity to make the move to electric vehicles. The Government had already committed £1.5 billion to support the early market and remove barriers to electric vehicle ownership. Alongside the new phase out dates we have pledged a further £2.8 billion package of measures to support industry and consumers to make the switch to cleaner vehicles. This support is available in both urban and rural areas across the UK
Today, a driver is never more than 25 miles away from a rapid?chargepoint?anywhere along England’s motorways and major A roads. Local authorities in rural areas are able to take advantage of the On-street Residential Chargepoint Scheme (ORCS), which assists them with the cost of installing chargepoints on residential streets. The Government will continue to monitor market developments to determine whether any significant gaps in charging infrastructure provision emerge where there may be a case for further measures.