Asked by: Andrew Bingham (Conservative - High Peak)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the availability of safe, affordable areas for heavy goods vehicle drivers to park and rest at night and access to toilet facilities and good quality food; and if he will take steps to ensure that capacity in such facilities is in line with demand.
Answered by Claire Perry
A survey conducted for the Department in 2010-11 found there were over 270 parking areas within five kilometres of the Strategic Route Network, including Motorway and Trunk Road Service Areas. Facilities varied but most offered toilets and food. The survey also found that parking areas were on average full to 61% of capacity, while 41% of heavy goods vehicles were parked elsewhere.
It is Government policy that the provision of parking areas is a matter for local authorities and the private sector, who are best placed to judge local traffic conditions and needs. Parking charges are also a matter for the commercial judgement of parking operators but all Motorway Service Areas are required by the Department to offer two hours’ free parking to all vehicles.
Asked by: Andrew Bingham (Conservative - High Peak)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps to ensure that foreign drivers are subject to the same penalties as British drivers upon failure to produce relevant CPC documentation.
Answered by Claire Perry
All professional drivers of lorries, buses and coaches from EU member states are required to produce the relevant CPC documentation when requested by enforcement officers. I can confirm that non-UK drivers from EU member states are subject to the same penalties as their British counterparts should they fail to do so.
Asked by: Andrew Bingham (Conservative - High Peak)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the contribution of High Speed 2 to transport connectivity between communities in the East Midlands.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
Under the proposed HS2 scheme, the station in the East Midlands will be separated by journeys to Birmingham and Sheffield by less than 20 minutes each. Fast and frequent shuttle services could connect Nottingham and Derby with the East Midlands Hub station with a journey time of just 12mins from Nottingham and 15mins from Derby.
Sir David Higgins' report, HS2 Plus, was published on 17th March. Government welcomes Sir David's recommendation that Phase Two should be considered holistically and integrated with classic rail investment. In order to deliver better connectivity we have now asked HS2 Ltd and Network Rail to explore a process for integrated development of Network Rail's plans with decisions on Phase Two of HS2. This will form part of Sir David Higgins' report in the autumn.