Asked by: Lord Moylan (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks made by Earl Howe on 22 May where he stated that they plan to "engage stakeholders on the proposal set out in the levelling up White Paper to explore transferring the responsibility for licensing taxis and private hire vehicles to upper-tier and combined authorities" during the course of this year, when they intend to initiate that process.
Answered by Lord Davies of Gower - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport intends to carry out engagement on this issue early next year.
Asked by: Lord Moylan (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether any body authorised the temporary erection of a structure in the highway adjacent to the Cenotaph during the demonstration held on 14 October, and if so under what power.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Decisions on the authorisation of temporary structures on the highway is entirely a matter for Westminster City Council as the local highway authority.
Asked by: Lord Moylan (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when they intend to produce criteria for the evaluation of bicycle lanes created by local highways authorities in response to the statutory guidance Traffic Management Act 2004: network management in response to COVID-19 updated on 13 November; and whether such criteria will include the evaluation of the effects (1) on all modes of transport subject to that Act, and (2) on the emergency services.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Department is currently developing a framework to help local authorities monitor and evaluate the schemes that they will be delivering through tranche two of the Active Travel Fund. They will be asked to consider, among other things, congestion impacts before and after scheme implementation. All local authorities are required to consult with emergency services on changes to road layouts that require Traffic Regulation Orders as set out in the statutory guidance, and as a condition of funding for schemes delivered through the Active Travel Fund.
Asked by: Lord Moylan (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government which firms have been selected to run electric scooter trials in areas where trials are being undertaken.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
11 different companies are operating across the live trial areas. These are: Ginger, Spin, Lime, Beryl, Tier, Zwings, Voi, Bird, Neuron, Zipp, and Wind.
Many of these companies have their own model of scooter which meets the minimum requirements set by the Department. Trials include both short- and long-term rental. The range of trial areas provide a diverse range of local environments in which to assess e-scooter use.
The key areas we are seeking evidence of are the safety of e-scooters, what mode shift they cause, and what impacts they have on other road users. There is no minimum number of operators who need to participate in trials to assess this, but we will additionally seek to learn and share lessons on how different e-scooter providers operate.
The local authorities hosting the trials have selected the operators they wish to work with. They have undertaken their own procurement processes, ensuring that the operators meet both the Department’s and their own requirements for the trial. We have set out these requirements in our guidance for local authorities and have only approved trials where these are met. The requirements include that the operator has geofencing and driving licence checks in place, that local areas have engaged with local police and disability groups, and that data generated will be shared with the Department.
Many of the operators are going beyond these minimum requirements, including providing free helmets to users and offering online or in-person training to use the scooters.
Asked by: Lord Moylan (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to ensure that electric scooter trials test a range of (1) models, (2) providers, and (3) local circumstances.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
11 different companies are operating across the live trial areas. These are: Ginger, Spin, Lime, Beryl, Tier, Zwings, Voi, Bird, Neuron, Zipp, and Wind.
Many of these companies have their own model of scooter which meets the minimum requirements set by the Department. Trials include both short- and long-term rental. The range of trial areas provide a diverse range of local environments in which to assess e-scooter use.
The key areas we are seeking evidence of are the safety of e-scooters, what mode shift they cause, and what impacts they have on other road users. There is no minimum number of operators who need to participate in trials to assess this, but we will additionally seek to learn and share lessons on how different e-scooter providers operate.
The local authorities hosting the trials have selected the operators they wish to work with. They have undertaken their own procurement processes, ensuring that the operators meet both the Department’s and their own requirements for the trial. We have set out these requirements in our guidance for local authorities and have only approved trials where these are met. The requirements include that the operator has geofencing and driving licence checks in place, that local areas have engaged with local police and disability groups, and that data generated will be shared with the Department.
Many of the operators are going beyond these minimum requirements, including providing free helmets to users and offering online or in-person training to use the scooters.
Asked by: Lord Moylan (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of firms that would need to be involved in electric scooter trials for an evidence based policy decision to be made.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
11 different companies are operating across the live trial areas. These are: Ginger, Spin, Lime, Beryl, Tier, Zwings, Voi, Bird, Neuron, Zipp, and Wind.
Many of these companies have their own model of scooter which meets the minimum requirements set by the Department. Trials include both short- and long-term rental. The range of trial areas provide a diverse range of local environments in which to assess e-scooter use.
The key areas we are seeking evidence of are the safety of e-scooters, what mode shift they cause, and what impacts they have on other road users. There is no minimum number of operators who need to participate in trials to assess this, but we will additionally seek to learn and share lessons on how different e-scooter providers operate.
The local authorities hosting the trials have selected the operators they wish to work with. They have undertaken their own procurement processes, ensuring that the operators meet both the Department’s and their own requirements for the trial. We have set out these requirements in our guidance for local authorities and have only approved trials where these are met. The requirements include that the operator has geofencing and driving licence checks in place, that local areas have engaged with local police and disability groups, and that data generated will be shared with the Department.
Many of the operators are going beyond these minimum requirements, including providing free helmets to users and offering online or in-person training to use the scooters.
Asked by: Lord Moylan (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to ensure that firms providing electric scooters under the current trials can meet their undertakings; and what requirements must local and combined authorities operating such trials meet.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
11 different companies are operating across the live trial areas. These are: Ginger, Spin, Lime, Beryl, Tier, Zwings, Voi, Bird, Neuron, Zipp, and Wind.
Many of these companies have their own model of scooter which meets the minimum requirements set by the Department. Trials include both short- and long-term rental. The range of trial areas provide a diverse range of local environments in which to assess e-scooter use.
The key areas we are seeking evidence of are the safety of e-scooters, what mode shift they cause, and what impacts they have on other road users. There is no minimum number of operators who need to participate in trials to assess this, but we will additionally seek to learn and share lessons on how different e-scooter providers operate.
The local authorities hosting the trials have selected the operators they wish to work with. They have undertaken their own procurement processes, ensuring that the operators meet both the Department’s and their own requirements for the trial. We have set out these requirements in our guidance for local authorities and have only approved trials where these are met. The requirements include that the operator has geofencing and driving licence checks in place, that local areas have engaged with local police and disability groups, and that data generated will be shared with the Department.
Many of the operators are going beyond these minimum requirements, including providing free helmets to users and offering online or in-person training to use the scooters.
Asked by: Lord Moylan (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether any firms that were successful in bidding to run an electric scooter trial are, as part of the contractual arrangement, providing additional infrastructure or other benefits.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
11 different companies are operating across the live trial areas. These are: Ginger, Spin, Lime, Beryl, Tier, Zwings, Voi, Bird, Neuron, Zipp, and Wind.
Many of these companies have their own model of scooter which meets the minimum requirements set by the Department. Trials include both short- and long-term rental. The range of trial areas provide a diverse range of local environments in which to assess e-scooter use.
The key areas we are seeking evidence of are the safety of e-scooters, what mode shift they cause, and what impacts they have on other road users. There is no minimum number of operators who need to participate in trials to assess this, but we will additionally seek to learn and share lessons on how different e-scooter providers operate.
The local authorities hosting the trials have selected the operators they wish to work with. They have undertaken their own procurement processes, ensuring that the operators meet both the Department’s and their own requirements for the trial. We have set out these requirements in our guidance for local authorities and have only approved trials where these are met. The requirements include that the operator has geofencing and driving licence checks in place, that local areas have engaged with local police and disability groups, and that data generated will be shared with the Department.
Many of the operators are going beyond these minimum requirements, including providing free helmets to users and offering online or in-person training to use the scooters.