Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the commitment in the Environmental Improvement Plan that everyone should live within 15 minutes’ walk of a green or blue space, what assessment she has made of the implications for that policy of the proportion of (a) waterways and (b) inland blue space in England that has a statutory right of public access.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
We know that there are significant health and wellbeing benefits to spending time in nature. That is why we announced in our Environmental Improvement Plan in January our intention to work across Government to ensure that everyone lives within a 15 minute walk of a blue or green space. We also committed to work in parallel to reduce barriers to access.
Achieving delivery of these cross government commitments, to bring nature closer to people and reduce barriers to accessing it, is a long term goal. We are currently focused on developing the right modelling tools and indicators to allow us to accurately measure the baseline, identify where to target efforts and to track future progress, engaging closely with stakeholders as we do so. At the same time we continue to deliver existing work across Government in this area, such as the Access for All programme, the Green Infrastructure Framework, the Levelling Up Parks Fund and the Walking and Cycling Infrastructure Strategy.
Access on waterways, and other inland blue spaces such as lakes, where there is no established public right of navigation should be arranged with the relevant landowners through local voluntary access agreements, to ensure the interests of all parties concerned are taken into account.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to (a) promote cyclists traveling by train, (b) encourage train operators to provide more capacity for cyclists and (c) improve communication from train operators about travelling with cycles on their services.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Government is committed to improving integration between rail and other modes of transport to improve journeys for passengers.
The long-term cycling and walking plan of July 2020 set out 33 actions to increase cycling and walking, including improving cycle rail integration and improving bike access on trains. Between 2012 and 2022, the Government provided over £40m to create new secure bike spaces at train stations, and additional supporting features such as CCTV, lighting, ramps and cycle repair stations. In 2021-22 this included £2 million funding for cycling facilities at train stations and £1m for cycling routes to stations.
The Department will continue to work with the Train Operating Companies to ensure that customers have the information they require for their journeys.
Asked by: Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff Central)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what public information campaigns his Department undertakes to promote adherence to the highway code.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The department promotes adherence to The Highway Code via:
The Highway Code is published by the DVSA, which promotes adherence with the code via direct communications to learner drivers and via accredited driving instructors.
Asked by: Ben Bradshaw (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of whether his Department will meet its target of increasing the proportion of children aged 5 to 10 who usually walk to school to 55 per cent by 2025.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Government’s most recent assessment of progress towards meeting its active travel goals was set out in the Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy (CWIS) report to Parliament in July 2022, a copy of which is available in the House Libraries. The most recent National Travel Survey statistics for 2021 show that the proportion of children aged 5 to 10 who usually walk to school was 49 per cent. The latest statistics for 2022 are due to be published in September 2023 and the Government will provide a further assessment in its next report to Parliament.
Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress his Department has made on delivering the Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Government’s most recent assessment of progress towards delivering the Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy was set out in the Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy report to Parliament in July 2022, a copy of which is available in the House Libraries.
Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to his Department's publication entitled The second cycling and walking investment strategy, published 10 March 2023, what progress his Department has made on completing its objective of increasing walking activity to 365 stages per person per year by 2025.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Government’s most recent assessment of progress towards meeting its active travel goals was set out in the Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy (CWIS) report to Parliament in July 2022, a copy of which is available in the House Libraries. The most recent National Travel Survey statistics for 2021 show that the number of walking stages per person per year fell to 279 stages following impacts from the pandemic. The previous (CWIS1) objective of 300 stages per person had consistently been achieved from 2015 to 2019, with an average of 331 stages per person per year across this period, which is why the objective was made more ambitious in CWIS2. The latest statistics for 2022 are due to be published in September 2023, and the Department will provide a further assessment in its next report to Parliament in due course.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has made an assessment of the effectiveness of the Mini Holland Feasibility Studies on encouraging Low Traffic Neighbourhoods since that scheme was introduced.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Department has commissioned several feasibility studies through its mini-Holland pilot programme. The studies considered a broad range of approaches to improve safety and accessibility of local high streets and surrounding areas to enable higher levels of walking, wheeling and cycling, including area-wide traffic management approaches such as low traffic neighbourhoods. Three mini-Hollands schemes were funded as part of Active Travel Fund 4 following assessment of study material.
Responsibility for traffic management on local roads rests with the relevant local authority as they are best placed to consider how local needs can be effectively met. It is entirely a matter for individual authorities to decide on the nature and scope of policies. The Government has been clear that traffic management schemes should always be developed through consultation and engagement with local communities.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether it is his Department policy to remove Low Traffic Neighbourhoods from the Active Travel Fund 4 Proforma.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Department has commissioned several feasibility studies through its mini-Holland pilot programme. The studies considered a broad range of approaches to improve safety and accessibility of local high streets and surrounding areas to enable higher levels of walking, wheeling and cycling, including area-wide traffic management approaches such as low traffic neighbourhoods. Three mini-Hollands schemes were funded as part of Active Travel Fund 4 following assessment of study material.
Responsibility for traffic management on local roads rests with the relevant local authority as they are best placed to consider how local needs can be effectively met. It is entirely a matter for individual authorities to decide on the nature and scope of policies. The Government has been clear that traffic management schemes should always be developed through consultation and engagement with local communities.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reason his Department has reduced the planned level of funding for active travel in the period to 2025; and if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of reducing funding for road building measures as an alternative.
Answered by Jesse Norman
This Government has done more than any other in relation to the promotion of walking and cycling, and it remains fully committed to the vision that by 2030 half of all journeys in towns and cities are walked or cycled as well as to the objectives outlined in the second statutory Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy.
Around £3 billion is projected to be invested in active travel up to 2025, despite the need for efficiency savings across Government. These were due to global financial pressures, triggered by the impact of Putin’s illegal war in Ukraine, as well as by supply chain disruption as the global economy recovers from the effects of Covid-19.
These factors are affecting all areas of transport spend. However, the Department is managing inflation within the existing budgets by deferring the construction and development of several major schemes, as set out in the Secretary of State’s statement to Parliament on 9th March.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of funding cuts to active travel on the (a) use of active travel and (b) delivery of climate mitigation measures.
Answered by Jesse Norman
This Government has done more than any other in relation to the promotion of walking and cycling. Around £3 billion is projected to be invested in active travel up to 2025, despite the need for efficiency savings across Government. The Department remains committed to the vision that half of all short journeys will be walked or cycled by 2030.
The Transport Decarbonisation Plan, published in 2021, set out the emissions savings that active travel could deliver by 2050, as well as its other benefits including for the environment more widely and for health. The Department will continue to act as needed to decarbonise transport, including publishing progress updates and reviewing the pathway at least every five years.