Asked by: Andrew Selous (Conservative - South West Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will have discussions with Ministers in the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities about design standards for flats to allow for (a) safe cycle storage in common parts and (b) sufficient space standards in flats for bicycles.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
Ministers and officials regularly meet with counterparts in the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to discuss a range of issues including the role of the planning system in supporting the Government’s walking and cycling ambitions. The Department updated its Cycle Infrastructure Design Guidance in 2020 and this includes advice on the provision of residential facilities for cycle parking.
Asked by: Andrew Selous (Conservative - South West Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what role he expects cycling and electric bicycles to have in Local Transport Plan 4 and the decarbonisation of transport.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The Department aims to consult later this year on the future of Local Transport Plans (LTPs) and will issue guidance to Local Authorities making clear that decarbonisation is one of the central requirements in the development of their LTPs. As part of their LTPs, Local Authorities will be expected to incorporate plans to enable more short journeys to be made on foot or by cycle, including electrically assisted bicycles.
Asked by: Andrew Selous (Conservative - South West Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with Ministerial colleagues in the Home Office on the (a) enforcement of the law against aggression towards cyclists and (b) number of successful prosecutions in relation to the extent of that matter.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The Department agrees that all road users should be treated with respect and does not condone any form of aggression against cyclists or any other road user. The recent changes to The Highway Code are designed to bring about a positive shift in road user behaviour between those who drive, walk, cycle and ride horses. Decisions on enforcement priorities are entirely a matter for individual police forces, however, and the Department does not hold data on the number of successful prosecutions.
Asked by: Andrew Selous (Conservative - South West Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what requirements he places on train operating companies to provide sufficient and certain bicycle storage on trains.
Answered by Wendy Morton
The government currently contractually requires Train Operating Companies to permit folding cycles on all passenger services and non-folding cycles where reasonable. All Train Operating Companies currently allow carriage of cycles on trains, though provision varies by operator. In The Williams Shapps Plan for Rail the government committed to increasing space for cycles on existing trains wherever practically possible and that all future train fleets will need to include more cycle spaces relevant to the markets served. The government also committed to making it easier to reserve cycle spaces on trains online.
In addition, the government has provided over £42m funding since 2012 through the Cycle Rail Fund to support over 20,000 new secure cycle storage spaces at train stations, as well as access improvements, security enhancements, cycle maintenance equipment and cycling routes to stations.
Asked by: Andrew Selous (Conservative - South West Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when funds for Active Travel 3 will be available; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The Department hopes to make an announcement on this matter shortly.
Asked by: Andrew Selous (Conservative - South West Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to implement the Airspace Modernisation strategy.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
The Government recognises that airspace modernisation is an important enabler to allowing us to build back better and to meet out carbon commitment
Airspace modernisation is vital to the future of aviation, to delivering net zero and create opportunities for airports to manage how noise impacts local communities. It is a critical infrastructure programme of national importance that will supporting the aviation sector’s recovery from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, in light of the pandemic, we recognise that the timescales in which airspace modernisation will take place will change. We are working with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to review the Airspace Modernisation Strategy, to consider the recommendations from Airspace Change Organising Group (ACOG’s) recent report ‘Remobilising the Airspace Change Programme’, and will advise stakeholders of our preferred approach shortly.
My officials have and will continue to work closely with all stakeholders to identify ways forward for the programme, considering all options for the future.
Asked by: Andrew Selous (Conservative - South West Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans the Jet Zero Council has for airspace modernisation.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
At the request of DfT and Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), the Airspace Change Organisation Group (ACOG) was established in 2019 to coordinate the delivery of key aspects of the Government’s Airspace Modernisation Strategy (AMS), namely the national programme of airspace change amongst major UK airports.
The Jet Zero Council (JZC) will take into account all of the decarbonisation levers available to ensure the sector reaches its net zero goals, including Airspace Modernisation. However, it will be primarily focused on driving forward areas that require further coordination where previously, cross-sectoral collaboration was missing; such as zero emission aerospace technology and sustainable aviation fuels (SAF). Critically, the JZC is not seeking to duplicate areas already progressing, such as an agreement on international emissions, or aviation modernisation which has an existing governance/delivery structures in ACOG.
Asked by: Andrew Selous (Conservative - South West Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress he has made in delivering the 4,000 zero emission buses announced by the Prime Minister in February 2020.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
The Government is committed to delivering at least 4,000 zero emission buses. Further details, including government support for the additional costs of purchasing zero emission buses, will be announced after the Spending Review has concluded.
Asked by: Andrew Selous (Conservative - South West Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he plans to take to support bus operators with the additional costs of purchasing zero emission buses to deliver the Government's policy of 4,000 new zero emission buses.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
The Government is committed to delivering at least 4,000 zero emission buses. Further details, including government support for the additional costs of purchasing zero emission buses, will be announced after the Spending Review has concluded.
Asked by: Andrew Selous (Conservative - South West Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when part six of the Road Traffic Act 2004 will be implemented.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
The Department has started discussions with key stakeholders about implementing Part 6 of the Traffic Management 2004 and this will inform the drafting of regulations and statutory guidance. Implementation will require a number of statutory instruments to be made covering matters such as enforcement, level of penalties, approved devices, adjudication, representations and appeals. It is not possible at this stage to say when the powers will be available to local authorities.