Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the ways in which the (a) walking and (b) cycling requirements of rural communities differ from those of major urban centres; and if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of producing a revised version of existing guidance on cycle infrastructure design (LTN 1/20) on the ability of rural authorities including Worcestershire County Council to take steps to promote a modal shift to walking and cycling in their areas.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
The Department has established Active Travel England (ATE) to help local authorities to develop appropriate walking, wheeling and cycling schemes, and to use Departmental guidance such as the ‘Manual for Streets’ and ‘LTN 1/20 Cycle Infrastructure Design’.
ATE plans to develop specific additional guidance for rural settings by the end of the year. Officials of Active Travel England have recently met with officials at Worcestershire County Council to help them to support local priorities.
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information he has received from Network Rail and train operating companies about the levels of usage of the ticket offices at (a) Great Malvern and (b) Malvern Link train stations.
Answered by Huw Merriman
The Secretary of State for Transport has not received any data from Network Rail or the train operating companies regarding the usage of ticket offices at Great Malvern and Malvern Link train stations.
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what service target his Department has in place for National Highways to install a speed-activated warning sign along dangerous parts of A-roads, including the A46.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
National Highways does not have a specific target to install speed activated warning signs along the Strategic Road Network. National Highways considers the case for these types of signs on different stretches of road according to the relevant safety data alongside other safety measures such as barriers and lighting.
Following engagement with local stakeholders, National Highways is exploring the possibility of introducing Vehicle Activated Signage (VAS) on the A46 in the Worcestershire area, which is specifically targeted at improving awareness of junctions which are not visible due to bends along the road.
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department has received from Highways England on plans for the A46 between Teddington Hands roundabout and Evesham; and what records his Department holds on the number of (a) crashes and (b) fatal accidents on that route in each of the last five years.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
National Highways is currently undertaking safety studies and speed surveys on the A46 between Junction 9 and Evesham to understand if any future improvements are needed. National Highways continues to engage with West Mercia Police about the possible review of the speed limit on this section of the A46 and will be able to provide a more comprehensive update in Spring next year.
The number of reported personal injury road accidents on the A46 between Teddington Hands roundabout and Evesham for the last 5 available years can be found in the table below.
Reported road accidents on the A46 between Teddington Hands roundabout and Evesham, 2016 to 2020 | |||||||||||
Year | Fatal | All | |||||||||
2016 | 0 | 6 | |||||||||
2017 | 0 | 6 | |||||||||
2018 | 0 | 9 | |||||||||
2019 | 1 | 10 | |||||||||
2020 | 0 | 4 | |||||||||
Source: DfT, STATS19 | |||||||||||
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to progress plans to re-double the North Cotswold Line.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
The Department is currently considering the Strategic Outline Business Case resubmitted by the North Cotswold Line Task Force in February 2021, which sets out their proposals for transforming services on the route. A decision on whether the scheme can enter the Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline will be made shortly.