Asked by: Bob Russell (Liberal Democrat - Colchester)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of how many drivers of overseas-registered vehicles will not pay the Dartford Crossing toll following changes to the payment arrangements; what estimate he has made of the potential annual loss of revenue from such non-payment; and what steps will be taken to recover payment from drivers of overseas-registered vehicles who do not pay the toll.
Answered by John Hayes
The Highways Agency estimates that non-UK registered vehicles will account for around 3 out of every 100 crossings and the majority of these are expected to comply with the charge. The Highways Agency are serious about tackling non-compliance and will use effective penalty and recovery processes that have been proven elsewhere, such as the London congestion charging and Dublin M50 toll schemes. The new Dartford Charging Scheme Order enables the Agency to enforce the Dartford Crossing road user charge through penalty charges and recovery processes.
A European debt recovery agency, with access to a variety of foreign vehicle databases, will also be used to pursue and recover outstanding charges from non-UK vehicles that evade paying the Crossing charge.
Asked by: Bob Russell (Liberal Democrat - Colchester)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of how many drivers of UK-registered vehicles will not pay the Dartford Crossing toll following changes to the payment arrangements; what estimate he has made of the potential annual loss of revenue from such non-payment; and what steps will be taken to recover payment from drivers of UK-registered vehicles who do not pay the toll.
Answered by John Hayes
Enforcing the charge and tackling evasion, where road users do not pay the charge, will be an important component of the Dart Charge scheme. The new Dartford Charging Scheme Order enables the Highways Agency to enforce the Dartford road user charge through penalty charges and recovery processes.
Asked by: Bob Russell (Liberal Democrat - Colchester)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make it his policy to issue guidance to (a) Network Rail and (b) train operating companies that they should implement a replacement programme to introduce LED lighting in their premises.
Answered by Claire Perry
Network Rail is responsible for managing its estates in an operationally- effective and cost-efficient way. The choice of lighting used in Network Rail’s premises is an operational matter for the company.
The Department has no locus to mandate the type of lighting that train operating companies use on their premises. Many depots are owned by the train manufacturers rather than by Network Rail or the train operators, as the contracts for the rolling stock often include maintenance. At stations, when lighting systems are due for renewal, they would normally be replaced with the current modern equivalent standard of lighting.
Asked by: Bob Russell (Liberal Democrat - Colchester)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make it his policy to implement a replacement programme to introduce LED lights throughout his Department's buildings and sites; if he will estimate the proportion of lighting in his Department which is LED; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Claire Perry
The Department for Transport will consider installation of LED lights during major refurbishment projects where cost effective to do so. Information on the proportion of lighting which is currently LED is not centrally recorded and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Bob Russell (Liberal Democrat - Colchester)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will assess the potential merits of lowering the assumed walking speed of 1.2 metres per second used for calculating crossing times for pedestrians; and if he will publish the findings of that assessment.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
Local councils are responsible for setting pedestrian crossing timings with reference to the Department for Transport’s guidance walking speed of 1.2 metres per second given in Local Transport Note 1/95: ‘The Assessment of Pedestrian Crossings’, Local Transport Note 2/95: ‘The Design of Pedestrian Crossings’, and Traffic Advisory Leaflet 5/05: ‘Pedestrian Facilities at Signal-controlled Junctions’.
The Department recommends that where a crossing may be used by a large number of older people or those with mobility issues, for example outside residential care homes, this should be taken into account when setting timings.
The Department expects to bring the successor to the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions, which will include all pedestrian crossing types, into force in 2015 and once that is complete will consider the need to update existing guidance.
Asked by: Bob Russell (Liberal Democrat - Colchester)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of extending the potential economic benefits of extending High Speed 2 to Colchester.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
HS2 will help to promote economic growth and drive regional regeneration by bringing our major cities closer together, supporting job creation across the country and deliver around £2 of benefits for every £1 spent.
The Department has not assessed the potential economic benefits of extending HS2 to Colchester.
Only last Monday (7th July) Government announced the first instalment of plans to invest at least £12billion in local economies across England in a series of Growth Deals, between 2015/16 and 2020/21.
As part of their Growth Deal the South East Local Enterprise Partnership (which includes Essex as well as Thurrock, Southend, Kent, Medway and East Sussex) has secured some £442 million to support economic growth in the area – with £64 million of new funding confirmed for 2015/16.
As part of this allocation there is £2m for a programme of sustainable transport measures in Colchester, alongside a further £10m for integrated transport packages in the Town Centre. This is on top of a provisional allocation in the region of £3m towards transport improvements in the A133 Colchester to Clacton corridor.