Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to amend road planning regulations to encourage the uptake of cycling; and if he will make a statement.

The Government’s recently strengthened National Planning Policy Framework says that local authorities should promote healthy, inclusive and safe places which encourage walking and cycling. The Department for Transport’s guidance on Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans (LCWIPs) helps local authorities to identify priorities for investment and a pipeline of projects to encourage more walking and cycling.

The Department has also recently revised its Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions to enable the use of various innovations which will support the uptake of cycling, including low-level cycle signals, a new parallel crossing for pedestrians and cyclists, and new ways of signing cycling and walking routes.

The Department is updating Local Transport Note 2/08 ‘Cycle Infrastructure Design’ and will publish the updated guidance in due course.