Asked by: Michelle Donelan (Conservative - Chippenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of registering bicycles with the DVLA.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
Our assessment of the registration of bicycles indicates it would require a licensing process similar to that for cars and motorcycles. As there are in excess of 20 million bicycles in Great Britain and many change hands through second hand sales, keeping track of this would be difficult and expensive. The costs of its administration would far outweigh the revenue received and indeed any benefits received from it.
Asked by: Michelle Donelan (Conservative - Chippenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to make it a legal requirement for cyclists to wear helmets.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
Government policy is that cycle helmets offer a degree of protection for cyclists in the event of a fall from a bicycle and some types of collisions. This is in line with the Highway Code rule 59 which states “you should wear a cycle helmet which conforms to current regulations, is the correct size and securely fastened”
We encourage the use of helmets by all cyclists and in particular by children. However, people and parents are free to choose whether to follow this advice and we have no plans to legislate to introduce a mandatory requirement for the wearing of cycle helmets.
Asked by: Michelle Donelan (Conservative - Chippenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the age requirements for the driving test were last reviewed.
Answered by Andrew Jones
The minimum age for driving tests were last reviewed in 2010 following a widespread public consultation in 2009 on changes to the driver licensing and testing regime. The possible changes included amongst others, minimum ages, medical requirements, driving licence security and driving test vehicle requirements. The Government currently has no plans to alter minimum ages.
Asked by: Michelle Donelan (Conservative - Chippenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he next plans to review speed limits in England.
Answered by Andrew Jones
There are no plans to review national speed limits in England except for temporary speed limits at road works. Local traffic authorities are responsible for setting speed limits on local roads where local needs and conditions suggest a speed limit which is lower than the national speed limit. Traffic authorities have the flexibility to set local speed limits that are appropriate for the individual road, reflecting local needs and taking account of local considerations.
Asked by: Michelle Donelan (Conservative - Chippenham)
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 a bicycle highway code.
Answered by Andrew Jones
Sections 59 – 82 of the Highway Code cover “Rules for Cyclists” which includes sections on road junctions, roundabouts and crossing the road. In addition Annex 1 of the code “You and your bike” covers information and rules about you and using your bicycle on the road. There are no plans to publish a cycling specific excerpt of the Highway Code. To help cyclists further, the Department is providing £50 million over the next four years to support Bikeability cycle training in schools in England (outside London). This funding will help to increase children's road awareness, encourage active travel and improve future motorists’ empathy for more vulnerable road users.
Asked by: Michelle Donelan (Conservative - Chippenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to promote awareness among cyclists of the importance of wearing helmets and visible clothing.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
The safety of vulnerable road users is a priority and we recommend that all cyclists wear clothing that makes them sufficiently visible to other road users.
Rule 59 of the Highway Code states, “You should wear light-coloured or fluorescent clothing which helps other road users to see you in daylight and poor light; reflective clothing and/or accessories (belt, arm or ankle bands) in the dark”.
Government policy is that cycle helmets offer a degree of protection for cyclists in the event of a fall from a bicycle and some types of collisions. In line with the Highway Code rule 59 which states “you should wear a cycle helmet which conforms to current regulations, is the correct size and securely fastened” we encourage their use by all cyclists and in particular by children.
Asked by: Michelle Donelan (Conservative - Chippenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to introduce driving tests for drivers who have previously passed that test (a) who are over 70 year old and (b) every 20 years.
Answered by Andrew Jones
The Department for Transport considers that medical fitness and practical competence, not age, are the relevant factors in deciding if a driver can continue to hold a licence. The rules for drivers renewing a license at the age of 70 are designed to be fair and proportionate, and there are no plans to change them.
Asked by: Michelle Donelan (Conservative - Chippenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessments his Department has made of the potential economic benefit of (a) opening new stations on the Great Western Main line, (b) running later services on the Great Western Main line and (c) reducing rail fares on the Great Western Main line.
Answered by Claire Perry
Any specific project that may bring such benefits to passengers is assessed during the planning stage of that project.
I completely understand your concern about the cost of some rail fares and the impact that this can have on people’s budgets. That is why we have capped the rail fares we regulate at inflation (RPI) for three years running, and will continue to do so for the life of this parliament. We have also stopped operators increasing individual fares by up to 2% more. This means those fares we regulate will only rise by 1% in 2016 making it the lowest fare increase since 2010.