Asked by: Lord Redwood (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on (a) passenger volumes and (b) ticket revenues on the rail network in (b) March to October (a) 2020 and (b) 2019.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
Information on the number of rail passenger journeys and ticket revenue is collected within the rail industry’s LENNON (Latest Earnings Network Nationally Over Night) ticketing and revenue database, to which the Department is granted access on a strictly confidential basis.
The information requested is not currently available in the public domain, however with the agreement of the rail industry some information is made available, which you may find of interest.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department publish data comparing daily rail journeys since March 2020 to an equivalent day last year. This information is updated on the website below on a weekly basis:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/transport-use-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-pandemic
Additionally, The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) publish data on journey numbers and revenue in a quarterly statistical release. The latest statistics, which cover up to the end of June 2020, can be found on their website:
https://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/statistics/usage/passenger-rail-usage/
Asked by: Lord Redwood (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on the number of rail journeys made in (a) peak and (b) off peak fare times in the last quarter of (a) 2020 and (b) the same quarter in 2019.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
The Department does not hold this information.
Information on the number of rail passenger journeys by ticket type is collected within the rail industry’s LENNON (Latest Earnings Network Nationally Over Night) ticketing and revenue database, for which the Department has an access agreement. However, information about the time and date a journey took place is not recorded as many tickets, such as season tickets, offer flexibility in travel times.
Asked by: Lord Redwood (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of potential future patterns of rail demand; and what recent discussions he has had with representatives of the rail industry on anticipating future demand.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
The Department has made no formal assessment of future rail demand. The Department has conducted some rail demand scenarios which take a range of assumptions on potential drivers including economic forecasts and the potential duration of Covid restrictions. These assumptions are subject to ongoing update, refinement and review.
The Department has had discussions on different approaches to assessing rail demand with Network Rail, Train Operating Companies and Sub-National Transport bodies.
Asked by: Lord Redwood (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what funding is available for local authorities to improve junction safety and capacity and to remove bottlenecks to make it easier for people to get into town centres by car and van.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
Local highway authorities, such as Wokingham Borough Council, have a duty under Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980 to maintain the highways network in their area. The responsibility for improving junction safety and capacity is also a matter for the relevant local highway authority. The Department for Transport is allocating over £1.7 billion for local highways maintenance and improvements in 2020/21 through the Transport Infrastructure Investment Fund to local highways authorities in England, outside London. Of this Wokingham Borough Council will receive over £5.1 million. It is entirely for each authority to determine how their share of this funding is utilised to meet local needs.
Asked by: Lord Redwood (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what guidance he is issuing to local authorities to make it easier for people to drive to town centres and park to boost local economies.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
It is for local authorities to decide how to allocate road space on their roads and ensure suitable access to local shops and high streets.
The Department publishes a wide range of guidance to help them in this, including Local Transport Notes, Traffic Advisory Leaflets and guidance on managing parking enforcement.
Asked by: Lord Redwood (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will issue guidance to highway authorities on using roundabouts rather than light controls for junctions on new and improved existing roads in the strategic road network.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
Local authorities are responsible for providing appropriate traffic management schemes for their roads. They are free to make their own decisions about the streets under their care, including junction design and operation, provided they take account of the relevant legislation. The Department has provided guidance to highway authorities on various types of junction design, including those mentioned here, in the form of the Traffic Signs Manual and other documents. Chapter 6 of the Traffic Signs Manual in particular provides guidance on various methods for traffic light control. It is for local authorities to decide which methods to use for the roads in their region.
Last year the Department consulted on a proposal to add a new condition to the set of national permit scheme conditions to require that activities placing new apparatus underground should, where possible and practical, be placed under the footway, footpath or verge. Concerns were raised in consultation responses that this would be unworkable, impractical and difficult to enforce, and would adversely impact pedestrians, especially older and disabled people. The Government therefore decided not to proceed with the proposal.
Asked by: Lord Redwood (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will issue guidance to Highways England and to highways authorities to ensure new and replacement cables and pipes are not placed under new roads and where possible diverted to verges and pavements on existing roads.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
Local authorities are responsible for providing appropriate traffic management schemes for their roads. They are free to make their own decisions about the streets under their care, including junction design and operation, provided they take account of the relevant legislation. The Department has provided guidance to highway authorities on various types of junction design, including those mentioned here, in the form of the Traffic Signs Manual and other documents. Chapter 6 of the Traffic Signs Manual in particular provides guidance on various methods for traffic light control. It is for local authorities to decide which methods to use for the roads in their region.
Last year the Department consulted on a proposal to add a new condition to the set of national permit scheme conditions to require that activities placing new apparatus underground should, where possible and practical, be placed under the footway, footpath or verge. Concerns were raised in consultation responses that this would be unworkable, impractical and difficult to enforce, and would adversely impact pedestrians, especially older and disabled people. The Government therefore decided not to proceed with the proposal.
Asked by: Lord Redwood (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will issue new guidance to English Highways Authorities to install segregated right turning lanes at junctions on new and improved roads forming part of a strategic local road network.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
Local authorities are responsible for providing appropriate traffic management schemes for their roads. They are free to make their own decisions about the streets under their care, including junction design and operation, provided they take account of the relevant legislation. The Department has provided guidance to highway authorities on various types of junction design, including those mentioned here, in the form of the Traffic Signs Manual and other documents. Chapter 6 of the Traffic Signs Manual in particular provides guidance on various methods for traffic light control. It is for local authorities to decide which methods to use for the roads in their region.
Last year the Department consulted on a proposal to add a new condition to the set of national permit scheme conditions to require that activities placing new apparatus underground should, where possible and practical, be placed under the footway, footpath or verge. Concerns were raised in consultation responses that this would be unworkable, impractical and difficult to enforce, and would adversely impact pedestrians, especially older and disabled people. The Government therefore decided not to proceed with the proposal.
Asked by: Lord Redwood (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will issue new guidance to English Highways Authorities to usually allow two way running on green at a light controlled road junction at the intersection of two roads with right filters.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
Local authorities are responsible for providing appropriate traffic management schemes for their roads. They are free to make their own decisions about the streets under their care, including junction design and operation, provided they take account of the relevant legislation. The Department has provided guidance to highway authorities on various types of junction design, including those mentioned here, in the form of the Traffic Signs Manual and other documents. Chapter 6 of the Traffic Signs Manual in particular provides guidance on various methods for traffic light control. It is for local authorities to decide which methods to use for the roads in their region.
Last year the Department consulted on a proposal to add a new condition to the set of national permit scheme conditions to require that activities placing new apparatus underground should, where possible and practical, be placed under the footway, footpath or verge. Concerns were raised in consultation responses that this would be unworkable, impractical and difficult to enforce, and would adversely impact pedestrians, especially older and disabled people. The Government therefore decided not to proceed with the proposal.
Asked by: Lord Redwood (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what representations he has received on road traffic delays caused by poor junction design; and what steps is he taking to tackle poor junction design to improve traffic flows.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
Local authorities are responsible for providing appropriate traffic management schemes for their roads. They are free to make their own decisions about the streets under their care, including junction design and operation, provided they take account of the relevant legislation. The Department has provided guidance to highway authorities on various types of junction design, including those mentioned here, in the form of the Traffic Signs Manual and other documents. Chapter 6 of the Traffic Signs Manual in particular provides guidance on various methods for traffic light control. It is for local authorities to decide which methods to use for the roads in their region.
Last year the Department consulted on a proposal to add a new condition to the set of national permit scheme conditions to require that activities placing new apparatus underground should, where possible and practical, be placed under the footway, footpath or verge. Concerns were raised in consultation responses that this would be unworkable, impractical and difficult to enforce, and would adversely impact pedestrians, especially older and disabled people. The Government therefore decided not to proceed with the proposal.