Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to paragraph 14 of The plan for drivers published on 2 October 2023, what his Department's timetable is for publishing new guidance on low traffic neighbourhoods.
Answered by Guy Opperman
New guidance will be published in due course.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the announcement on additional funding for pothole repairs in the Spring Budget 2023, what his Department's policy is on whether pothole funding can also be used by local authorities to maintain (a) footways and (b) cycleways.
Answered by Guy Opperman
Pothole funding can be used for all highways repairs, including to footways and cycleways.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to Table 1 of the second cycling and walking investment strategy published 6 July 2022, what double counting data error led to revisions made on 10 March 2023; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
The data error concerned one of the figures in Table One of the Strategy, and came to light as a result of internal discussions. The table in question incorrectly included £225 million of expenditure under the heading “projected investment from April 2021 to March 2025” when this funding had in fact already been accounted for in the period April 2016 to March 2021 in Table One of the second Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy Report to Parliament published in July 2022. This correction in no way affects the statutory status of the second Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the updates to the Second Walking and Cycling Investment Strategy made on 10 March 2023 maintain the same statutory status as the original strategy published in July 2022.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
The data error concerned one of the figures in Table One of the Strategy, and came to light as a result of internal discussions. The table in question incorrectly included £225 million of expenditure under the heading “projected investment from April 2021 to March 2025” when this funding had in fact already been accounted for in the period April 2016 to March 2021 in Table One of the second Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy Report to Parliament published in July 2022. This correction in no way affects the statutory status of the second Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that bus stops are accessible and safe for blind and visually impaired people.
Answered by Richard Holden - Shadow Secretary of State for Transport
The Inclusive Transport Strategy committed the Department to take steps to improve the accessibility of bus stations and stops. The Department is commissioning research to help us to understand the impact of bus station and stop design on disabled people and other users. This will inform future work on a accessible design standard and local council toolkit to improve the accessibility of bus stations and stops.
The Inclusive Transport Strategy committed the Department to take steps to improve the accessibility of bus stations and stops. The Department is commissioning research to help us to understand the impact of bus station and stop design on disabled people and other users. This will inform future work on a potential accessible design standard and local authority toolkit to improve the accessibility of bus stations and stops.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing Graduated Driving Licences for young drivers.
Answered by Richard Holden - Shadow Secretary of State for Transport
The Department’s broad aim for young road users is to improve road safety through new technology and research, and by developing better learning opportunities and targeted educational messaging.
Our largest Young Driver research piece is the Driver 2020 project; an evaluation of interventions to improve the safety of young novice drivers, in partnership with the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL). This project commenced in January 2019 and so far over 28,000 learner and novice drivers have been recruited. This project, which includes a telematics trial, aims to make young drivers safer, more confident, and more skillful in their first year of driving through non legislative, technical or educational measures with potential to lower their risk of collisions.
We look forward to receiving the findings from the Driver 2020 project, which will feed into considerations on further measures we can take to improve road safety for young drivers.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress his Department has made on publishing a new strategy on road safety.
Answered by Richard Holden - Shadow Secretary of State for Transport
The Road Safety Strategic Framework will be published in due course.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of daily deaths on roads in England and Wales.
Answered by Richard Holden - Shadow Secretary of State for Transport
The Department announced in the summer of 2021 that we would devise a new Road Safety Strategic Framework which will include a new implementation plan to improve road safety. This will be published in due course.
Following a public consultation, on 29 June 2022 the Department announced that the Government intended to create a Road Safety Investigation Branch, with legislation in an upcoming Transport Bill.
The Department has also funded £100million through the Safer Roads Fund for safety improvements to the top 50 most dangerous roads in England over the past few years.
Local authorities hold the statutory duty on road safety, and therefore further investment to improve road safety will be being made at that level.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Service report entitled Roads Policing: Not optional - An inspection of roads policing in England and Wales, published 15 July 2020, what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department’s policies of the findings of that report.
Answered by Richard Holden - Shadow Secretary of State for Transport
The HMICFRS report Roads Policing: Not Optional was commissioned by the Roads Policing Review Governance Board which is jointly chaired by officials from the Department for Transport and the Home Office. It has informed the ongoing joint work between the two Departments.
The Home Office and Department for Transport will continue to work with the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, the National Police Chiefs’ Council and the College of Policing to monitor the progress made in respect of the recommendations relevant to them. This will be done in a manner that respects the operational independence of Chief Officers and the College of Policing.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of the reintroduction of casualty reduction targets as a mechanism to reduce road deaths in England and Wales.
Answered by Richard Holden - Shadow Secretary of State for Transport
The Department is considering road safety indicators as part of the Road Safety Strategic Framework.
In the meanwhile, local authorities, the police and other bodies are free to set their own road safety targets.