Asked by: Lord Mawson (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the cycle lanes on congestion in London congestion charge areas and the implications for the environment.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Transport in London is devolved to the Mayor of London, and it is for him to consider what, if any, assessment is made of the impacts of cycle lanes.
The Government has not made any assessment of the impact of the cycle lanes on congestion in London congestion charge areas and the implications for the environment.
Asked by: Lord Mawson (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how much money they have provided for the construction and maintenance of cycle lanes in the London congestion charge areas in the last five years.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government provides funding to Transport for London (TfL) via the Greater London Authority. It is the responsibility of the Mayor to determine how TfL’s budget should be spent and for him to decide what to prioritise.
Asked by: Lord Mawson (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the usage of cycle lanes in the London congestion charge area between the hours of 10am and 4pm during weekdays.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government has made no assessment of the usage of cycle lanes in the London congestion charge area.
Asked by: Lord Mawson (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of traffic lights on roundabouts reducing congestion across England.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Provision of traffic lights is the responsibility of each local traffic authority. It is for them to decide if lights are required at roundabout junctions on their network, taking into account local circumstances such as accident records, traffic flows and road layout.
The Department for Transport recommends local authorities regularly review sites to revise timings as needed and to ensure the use of signal control is still appropriate.
Asked by: Lord Mawson (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the average price of train tickets in the UK compared to the average price of train tickets in Europe.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Great Britain has one of widest ranges of fare prices in Europe making assessments on the “average price” difficult. While we have some fares that are more expensive than our European neighbours, we also have some fares types for which we are among the cheapest – particularly when booked in advance. Many long distance walk up day returns for travel within specified times and cheap Advance single fares are low when compared to equivalent European fares. It is also important to put the price of fares into context against the service provided, including aspects such as flexibility and speed. In this respect, the UK has some of the most frequent services in Europe for commuters.
Asked by: Lord Mawson (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to ensure that new trains are introduced on the East Coast line.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Department for Transport is working closely with Virgin Trains East Coast and Network Rail to ensure the timely introduction of 65 new IEP trains to the East Coast Main Line. The first new train on the East Coast Main Line is due to enter service late 2018 and is anticipated to result in greater seating capacity and reduced journey times.
Asked by: Lord Mawson (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the reliability of the East Midlands Trains service.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
East Midlands Trains were the fourth best performing train company when compared to other operators, with 93.7% of trains arriving at destination within 10 minutes of their scheduled time for the four week period up to 15 October 2016. Their moving annual average is currently 92.3% (the sixth highest), of which 70.4% arrived at destination on time.
Asked by: Lord Mawson (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they assess the value for money of train tickets sold in the UK.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Passenger numbers are at record high levels and this growth is expected to continue. We are undertaking the biggest rail modernisation programme for over a century, in the five years to 2019, Network Rail is spending more than £40 billion to maintain and improve the network. Rail fares will continue to play a role in this and help deliver massive benefits for passengers, including relief from crowding on some of the nation’s busiest routes.
Fares revenue is crucial to funding day-to-day railway operations and the massive upgrade programme we are delivering, all of which benefit passengers. However, the Government recognises the serious concern consumers have around the cost of rail fares. That is why in order to continue to deliver value for money for passengers Government regulates many fares including commuter fares; other fares are a matter for the train operating companies to decide. We have committed to capping regulated rail fares at RPI+0% for the term of this Parliament from 2016 to 2020. This extends the cap on rail fares put in place for 2014 and 2015. This will benefit over a quarter of a million annual season ticket holders, providing an average saving of £425 in the five years to 2020.
Asked by: Lord Mawson (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have made an assessment of the upkeep and tidiness of the rail network in Japan; and if so, what lessons they have learnt that could be adopted within the UK.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Her Majesty’s Government has not made any such assessment.
Asked by: Lord Mawson (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact on inward investment to the UK of the condition and environment of the UK rail network.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
There is extensive evidence of the importance of transport and connectivity to attracting inward investment in to the UK economy. HM Government is always seeking to maximise such opportunities, however we have made no specific assessment of how the UK’s railways are currently bearing on inward investment.