Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will allocate additional funding to ensure that all modes of public transport are equipped to deal with extreme heat.
The Department for Transport has plans in place to adapt to and mitigate the risks of climate change, including risks from extreme heat. The Road Investment Strategy includes a commitment to enhance all-weather resilience of the Strategic Road Network, to minimise the risk of incidents and their impact for road users. Similarly, the Williams-Shapps Rail Plan includes a priority for long-term investment in climate resilience supported by smarter forecasting, planning and technology.
The third National Adaptation Programme is due in 2023. It will showcase the government’s strategy and plans to tackle the effects of climate change, including how to protect people, infrastructure and the environment in heatwaves. For transport, this means working closely with transport infrastructure operators to take meaningful and measurable action to address risks posed by our changing climate.