Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the opportunities to improve (a) congestion, (b) the environment and (c) road safety through a modal shift to motorcycles and scooters.

The Government has committed to leaving the environment in a better state than was inherited by this generation and improving the health and lives of people across the UK. Transport has a key role to play in reducing emissions to meet both climate change and air quality goals. The Clean Air Strategy, published this year, is the most ambitious air quality strategy in a generation, aiming to halve the harm to human health from air pollution in the UK by 2030.

Motorcycles can make a significant contribution to addressing the nation’s transport and traffic problems. They offer real benefits in terms of reduced congestion and an affordable alternative to the car, providing independence and mobility and widening employment opportunities. Motorcyclists represent one of the most vulnerable road user groups and the Department has just published a refreshed Road Safety Statement and a two-year action plan to address the following four key priority groups: motorcyclists; rural road users; young road users; and older road users.

Electric scooters are illegal to use on public roads in the UK. The Department is also currently undertaking a Regulatory Review which will include whether electric scooters and other micromobility devices should be permitted in the UK and the impacts of introducing electric scooters on congestion, the environment and road safety.