Asked by: Elliot Colburn (Conservative - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps to ensure that collisions involving a motor vehicle with a horse and a rider on a public highway are treated the same as a collision with any other vulnerable road user even if the rider is unhurt.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
Provisions within the Road Traffic Act 1988 set out the duties which exist in the event of a collision between a motor vehicle and animal, including a horse. A driver who causes injury to a horse must provide their name and address to anyone reasonably requiring it, failing which they must report the incident to the police. If the driver fails to do any of this, they are guilty of an offence, for which they could be arrested and prosecuted. There is no requirement for the police to attend the incident.
The Department is taking steps to improve safety for horse riders using the highway through updates to The Highway Code which will introduce safe passing speeds and distances. The Highway Code in its current form already mentions horse riders and the need for drivers to exercise special care in relation to them.
Asked by: Elliot Colburn (Conservative - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the level of police involvement is in the event where a ridden horse is hit by a motor vehicle on a public highway and killed and the rider is uninjured.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
Provisions within the Road Traffic Act 1988 set out the duties which exist in the event of a collision between a motor vehicle and animal, including a horse. A driver who causes injury to a horse must provide their name and address to anyone reasonably requiring it, failing which they must report the incident to the police. If the driver fails to do any of this, they are guilty of an offence, for which they could be arrested and prosecuted. There is no requirement for the police to attend the incident.
The Department is taking steps to improve safety for horse riders using the highway through updates to The Highway Code which will introduce safe passing speeds and distances. The Highway Code in its current form already mentions horse riders and the need for drivers to exercise special care in relation to them.
Asked by: Elliot Colburn (Conservative - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will hold discussions with (a) Transport for London and (b) the Mayor of London on TfL's decision to suspend funding for the tramlink extension to Sutton.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
In May the Government agreed a £1.6 billion funding and finance package with Transport for London (TfL) to enable them to continue operating essential services, transporting passengers safely and protecting staff during the pandemic.
Transport in London is devolved to the Mayor and there are difficult choices to be made to ensure that he is minimising the call on the government funding package in the interest of the taxpayer.
Government is currently undertaking a review of TfL’s finances which will consider TfL’s revenues and costs over the next five years.
Asked by: Elliot Colburn (Conservative - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when a decision will be made on the bid for funding from the second round of Restoring Your Railway Ideas Fund for step-free access at Carshalton Beeches station.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
We will be announcing the outcome of the second round of the Restoring Your Railway Ideas Fund in the coming weeks.
Asked by: Elliot Colburn (Conservative - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans his Department has to improve transport connectivity in Carshalton and Wallington constituency.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
Government works with all key partners across the country, including Transport for London (TfL) and London Boroughs, to ensure consideration is given to transport connectivity from the earliest stages of the development of proposals.
In addition, as part of the Extraordinary Funding and Finance Agreement, agreed to by the Mayor of London and the Deputy Mayor for Transport, TfL are pushing forward with an ambitious Active Travel Plan to promote cycling and walking, including new segregated cycle lanes, closures of roads to traffic and pavement extensions across London, which is supported by £55 million from the funding package.
Asked by: Elliot Colburn (Conservative - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of allocating funding to support a platform extension at Hackbridge station.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
No assessment has been made of the merits of making platform extensions at Hackbridge. As part of its ongoing programme of network planning, the Department has received no indication from Network Rail that platform extensions at Hackbridge would be a priority for enhancement funding at this time.
Asked by: Elliot Colburn (Conservative - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans his Department has to improve rail connectivity in Wallington, Carshalton, Carshalton Beeches and Hackbridge after planned infrastructure improvements as part of Network Rail’s Croydon Area Remodelling Scheme.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Croydon Area Remodelling Scheme is part of the wider Brighton Mainline Upgrade Programme. If the Programme goes ahead, it will deliver additional capacity and performance improvements through the Croydon and Selhurst area and across the southeast. The origin and destination of new services has not yet been determined, but could include additional services to those stations listed in the Hon Gentleman’s question.
Asked by: Elliot Colburn (Conservative - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, who has been (a) present and (b) given apologies for all meetings between his Department and (i) Transport for London and (ii) the Mayor of London and Office of the Mayor of London from 1 January 2020 to date.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
Ministers and officials at the Department for Transport meet regularly with representatives of the Mayor’s office and Transport for London to discuss a wide range of topics. During the COVID 19 outbreak these meetings have necessarily increased, and are often held daily. Due to the frequency of these meetings, it would be impractical to provide a definitive list of attendees and apologies for all of these meetings.
Asked by: Elliot Colburn (Conservative - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what representations he has received from (a) Transport for London and (b) the Mayor of London on the potential merits of increasing the congestion charge in London.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
As part of the funding package agreed with the Mayor of London to allow Transport for London to continue operating essential services in London during the COVID 19 outbreak, the Mayor agreed to reinstate the congestion charge. The decision to temporarily increase the congestion charge was taken by the Mayor and will be considered as part of the upcoming Government lead review of TfL’s financial position.
Asked by: Elliot Colburn (Conservative - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to reduce emissions from vehicle idling.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
Powers to tackle vehicle idling are available to Local Authorities, including the ability to issue Fixed Penalty Notices where necessary. However, this issue will not be solved simply through fining motorists. Local Authorities should utilise a range of methods to encourage motorists to change their behaviour, including public information campaigns. Better technology can play a part in addressing idling, such as stop-start technology and low- or -zero-emission vehicles. In particular the growth in Electric Vehicle sales is expected to assist in lowering emissions.