Cyclists: Safety

Debate between Lord Krebs and Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill

Wednesday 25th February 2026 Lords Chamber

[Lord Krebs]

To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of which safety measures for cyclists are the most (1) effective, and (2) cost-effective, for reducing (a) accidents, and (b) injuries.

[The Minister of State, Department for Transport (Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill) (Lab)]

My Lords, well-designed infrastructure, particularly of the kind that provides protection from motor traffic, can improve both safety and perceptions of safety for cyclists. In addition to our £626 million investment in active travel infrastructure that we announced last year, we have now also published our road safety strategy. This sets an ambitious target to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured on British roads, including cyclists, by 65% by 2035.

[Lord Krebs (CB)]

I thank the Minister for his Answer. The Government have said that they want cycling to be a safe, healthy, green and accessible option for everyone. However, 4,000 cyclists were killed or seriously injured on our roads in 2024. Cycling is nearly 10 times as dangerous as driving. Potholes and poor road surfaces are a major hazard, and a recent survey suggests that 88% of cyclists find these a danger and that 22% have been injured as a result. I cycle daily in Oxford, and the potholes are getting worse, not better. The extra funds allocated are not sufficient. Industry experts tell me that there are better ways of repairing potholes than slapping down a patch of cold asphalt that comes out after a few weeks. Are the Government encouraging councils to use the latest and best technology for repairing our roads?

[Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill (Lab)]

My department supports innovation in the local highways sector by creating conditions that enable the safe, evidence-led adoption of new products and approaches, while leaving decisions on individual technologies to local highway authorities. This includes providing record long-term funding for highways maintenance, with a proportion of funding linked to the demonstration of best practice, including the adoption of innovative techniques. The Government require each local authority to publish annual transparency reports to help local people understand what action is being taken to improve their roads. Oxfordshire County Council is no exception: its recent report highlights that it works closely with its supply chain to trial new materials in highways maintenance, including graphene asphalt, which it claims has been successfully used to enhance the durability of road surfaces.

Rail Freight

Debate between Lord Krebs and Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill

Monday 14th July 2025 Lords Chamber

[Lord Krebs (CB)]

My Lords, could the Minister tell us about the Government’s plans for decarbonising the rail freight sector, in line with the recommendations of the Climate Change Committee?

[Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill (Lab)]

The rail freight sector is, of course, a commercial sector, with commercial organisations providing power to freight trains. This Thursday, I am going to launch one of several new tri-mode freight locomotives from one of the operators, and a number of aspects of the Government’s investment plans for road and rail will allow decarbonisation of freight trains more easily than at the moment. I will be very happy to write to the noble Lord with some detail about that, so that he can understand what we are going to do.

Cambridge South Station: Car Parking

Debate between Lord Krebs and Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill

Tuesday 22nd April 2025 Lords Chamber

[Lord Krebs (CB)]

My Lords, does the Minister agree with the recommendation of the Climate Change Committee in its seventh carbon budget that, by 2040, all diesel freight and passenger trains should be phased out? If he does agree, could he confirm that east-west rail, which is due to be completed in the mid to late 2030s, will not run any diesel-powered passenger or freight trains?

[Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill (Lab)]

The length of life of railway rolling stock is between 30 and 35 years, so proposed dates for the elimination of diesel and other forms of traction have to respect the economic lives of the rolling stock that is currently running on the railway. In respect of east-west rail, the non-statutory consultation which has currently gone out is proposing discontinuous electrification, so that the rolling stock to be operated on the east-west railway when it opens would be a combination of electric traction and battery operation.