Asked by: David Evennett (Conservative - Bexleyheath and Crayford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made an assessment of the impact of potholes on drivers in Bexley.
Answered by Guy Opperman
The Government has recently announced a £8.3 billion funding uplift for roads resurfacing across England between 2023/24 – 2033/34. As part of this it has provided the London Borough of Bexley Council with an additional £275,000 in 2023/24 and will provide a further £275,000 in 2024/25.
This money has been provided directly to the respective London Borough rather than via the Mayor of London. At a national level, the Department publishes statistics on gov.uk on the condition and maintenance of the highways in England.
Ultimately, however, under the 1980 Highway Act it is the responsibility of the local highway authority, in this case the London Borough of Bexley Council, to maintain and manage the highway network they are responsible for. In London, transport is a devolved matter, and the overall state of London’s roads is a matter for the Mayor.
Asked by: David Evennett (Conservative - Bexleyheath and Crayford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much funding his Department has allocated to Bexley Council for (a) pothole and (b) other road repairs in each year since 2015.
Answered by Guy Opperman
The Department has allocated a total of £1.333 million to the London Borough of Bexley for local highway maintenance since 2015, as part of one-off funding uplifts, as set out in the table below. Transport is a devolved matter in London, meaning that the Department for Transport does not routinely allocate highway maintenance funding to London boroughs.
Year | Funding Stream | Amount £ |
2017/18 | Pothole Action Fund | 80,000 |
2018/19 | Budget 2018 | 703,000 |
2023/24 | Roads Resurfacing Fund | 275,000 |
2024/25 | Roads Resurfacing Fund | 275,000 |
Total | 1,333,000 |
Over the period between 2023/24 - 2033/34, the London Borough of Bexley will receive a minimum of £8.345 million funding through the national Roads Resurfacing Fund, as announced within the Prime Minister’s Network North plan on 4 October 2023 and as set out on gov.uk.
Asked by: David Evennett (Conservative - Bexleyheath and Crayford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of closing train station ticket offices on passengers in Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency.
Answered by Huw Merriman
We are now in a period where the independent passenger bodies (Transport Focus and London TravelWatch) are engaging with train operators on the basis of the consultation responses they have received and the criteria they have set out. We expect train operators to work collaboratively with the passenger bodies in the coming weeks, to listen to the concerns raised and to refine their proposals accordingly.
When proposing major changes to ticket office opening hours, including closures, operators were required to take into account the adequacy of the proposed alternatives in relation to the needs of all passengers; and to include this in the notice of the proposal sent to other operators and passenger groups. All operators prepared Equality Impact Assessments and published these on their websites.
Together with the industry, we want to improve and modernise the passenger experience by moving staff out from ticket offices to provide more help and advice in customer focused roles. No currently staffed station should be unstaffed as a result of industry changes. We expect train operators, including Southeastern who manage several stations in the Bexleyheath and Crayford area, to ensure staff are well located to meet passenger needs in future.
Asked by: David Evennett (Conservative - Bexleyheath and Crayford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on Southeastern train punctuality on the Bexleyheath line since the new timetable was introduced in December 2022.
Answered by Huw Merriman
Southeastern introduced a new timetable on 11 December 2022. Since its introduction punctuality has significantly improved on the Bexleyheath Line.
The following table shows the industry measure of On Time (the percentage of recorded station stops where the train arrived less than one minute later than its advertised time) for each rail period since the new timetable was introduced.
Rail Period Bexleyheath Line
P2310 (10 Dec – 07 Jan) | 46.7% |
P2311 (08 Jan – 04 Feb) | 59.0% |
P2312 (05 Feb – 04 Mar) | 63.9% |
P2313 (05 Mar – 31 Mar) | 66.6% |
P2401 (01 Apr – 29 Apr) | 70.0% |
Asked by: David Evennett (Conservative - Bexleyheath and Crayford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on Southeastern train punctuality on the Woolwich line since the new timetable was introduced in December 2022.
Answered by Huw Merriman
Southeastern introduced a new timetable on 11 December 2022. Since its introduction punctuality has significantly improved on the Woolwich line.
The following table shows the industry measure of On Time (the percentage of recorded station stops where the train arrived less than one minute later than its advertised time) for each rail period since the new timetable was introduced.
Railway Period - Woolwich Line
P2310 (10 Dec – 07 Jan) | 56.3% |
P2311 (08 Jan – 04 Feb) | 55.9% |
P2312 (05 Feb – 04 Mar) | 61.8% |
P2313 (05 Mar – 31 Mar) | 63.6% |
P2401 (01 Apr – 29 Apr) | 70.4% |
Asked by: David Evennett (Conservative - Bexleyheath and Crayford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on Southeastern train punctuality on the Sidcup line since the new timetable was introduced in December 2022.
Answered by Huw Merriman
Southeastern introduced a new timetable on 11 December 2022. Since its introduction punctuality has significantly improved on the Sidcup Line.
The following table shows the industry measure of On Time (the percentage of recorded station stops where the train arrived less than one minute later than its advertised time) for each rail period since the new timetable was introduced.
Rail Period - Sidcup Line
P2310 (10 Dec – 07 Jan) | 61.1% |
P2311 (08 Jan – 04 Feb) | 62.8% |
P2312 (05 Feb – 04 Mar) | 67.1% |
P2313 (05 Mar – 31 Mar) | 70.3% |
P2401 (01 Apr – 29 Apr) | 73.7% |
Asked by: David Evennett (Conservative - Bexleyheath and Crayford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Mayor of London’s 2023 ULEZ expansion.
Answered by Richard Holden - Shadow Secretary of State for Transport
Transport in London is devolved to the Mayor of London. There is no legal requirement for the Mayor to consult either central or local Government on the decision to expand the Ultra-Low Emission Zone. However, we have been clear that Government grant funding, via the longer-term funding settlement, cannot be used to cover the estimated £250 million cost of implementation. Therefore, the Mayor and TfL must cover this cost through alternative sources available to them. If Members are unhappy with the decisions that the Mayor has been making, they should make this known at the next London mayoral election in 2024.
Asked by: David Evennett (Conservative - Bexleyheath and Crayford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many times traffic has been stopped in each of the last 12 months at the Dartford Crossing northbound to allow crossing control vehicles to escort hazardous vehicles through the tunnels.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The table below contains average journeys time to cross the Dartford Crossing at peak times (06:00-10:00 & 16:00 -19:00) northbound and southbound in each of the last 13 months:
Avg. Journey time (Seconds) | AM Peak (06:00:00 - 09:59:59) | PM Peak (16:00:00 - 18:59:59) | ||
Date | Northbound | Southbound | Northbound | Southbound |
Jan-21 | 180 | 198 | 175 | 181 |
Feb-21 | 172 | 186 | 174 | 181 |
Mar-21 | 177 | 193 | 186 | 181 |
Apr-21 | 184 | 190 | 231 | 208 |
May-21 | 184 | 191 | 242 | 188 |
Jun-21 | 193 | 193 | 266 | 217 |
Jul-21 | 181 | 190 | 254 | 213 |
Aug-21 | 191 | 190 | 296 | 194 |
Sep-21 | 198 | 206 | 253 | 198 |
Oct-21 | 194 | 198 | 242 | 208 |
Nov-21 | 200 | 203 | 236 | 228 |
Dec-21 | 189 | 192 | 219 | 203 |
Jan-22 | 189 | 209 | 197 | 189 |
The northbound route is 1.95 miles (2.8km) and the southbound route is 2.4 miles (3.9km). The times shown are representative of the average time it takes to travel the length of this route.
The table below contains the number of times traffic has been stopped at the Dartford Crossing in each of the last twelve months due to an escort vehicle:
Year | Month | Times Traffic Stopped |
2021 | February | 1777 |
| March | 1965 |
| April | 2039 |
| May | 2051 |
| June | 1876 |
| July | 1946 |
| August | 1888 |
| September | 1826 |
| October | 1995 |
| November | 1974 |
| December | 1921 |
2022 | January | 1951 |
Asked by: David Evennett (Conservative - Bexleyheath and Crayford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the average journey time was to cross the Dartford Crossing (a) northbound and (b) southbound at peak times in each of the last 12 months.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The table below contains average journeys time to cross the Dartford Crossing at peak times (06:00-10:00 & 16:00 -19:00) northbound and southbound in each of the last 13 months:
Avg. Journey time (Seconds) | AM Peak (06:00:00 - 09:59:59) | PM Peak (16:00:00 - 18:59:59) | ||
Date | Northbound | Southbound | Northbound | Southbound |
Jan-21 | 180 | 198 | 175 | 181 |
Feb-21 | 172 | 186 | 174 | 181 |
Mar-21 | 177 | 193 | 186 | 181 |
Apr-21 | 184 | 190 | 231 | 208 |
May-21 | 184 | 191 | 242 | 188 |
Jun-21 | 193 | 193 | 266 | 217 |
Jul-21 | 181 | 190 | 254 | 213 |
Aug-21 | 191 | 190 | 296 | 194 |
Sep-21 | 198 | 206 | 253 | 198 |
Oct-21 | 194 | 198 | 242 | 208 |
Nov-21 | 200 | 203 | 236 | 228 |
Dec-21 | 189 | 192 | 219 | 203 |
Jan-22 | 189 | 209 | 197 | 189 |
The northbound route is 1.95 miles (2.8km) and the southbound route is 2.4 miles (3.9km). The times shown are representative of the average time it takes to travel the length of this route.
The table below contains the number of times traffic has been stopped at the Dartford Crossing in each of the last twelve months due to an escort vehicle:
Year | Month | Times Traffic Stopped |
2021 | February | 1777 |
| March | 1965 |
| April | 2039 |
| May | 2051 |
| June | 1876 |
| July | 1946 |
| August | 1888 |
| September | 1826 |
| October | 1995 |
| November | 1974 |
| December | 1921 |
2022 | January | 1951 |