Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Garston and Halewood)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will (a) make an assessment of the equity of the tolling scheme and (b) investigate the operational problems with the administration of tolls on the Mersey Gateway Bridge; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Government has no plans to make an assessment of the equity of the Mersey Gateway tolling scheme. The operation of the tolling system is the responsibility of the Merseylink consortium and Halton Borough Council, promoter of the Mersey Gateway project.
Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Garston and Halewood)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what meetings (a) Ministers or (b) officials of his Department have had with (i) HM Treasury and (ii) the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the liability of tractors to pay tolls on the Mersey Gateway Bridge; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Jesse Norman
No such meetings have been held.
Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Garston and Halewood)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the timetable is for the publication of the research he plans to commission into the safety implications of tyres on buses and coaches being more than 10 years old.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Department for Transport is in the process of commissioning research to investigate how the properties of materials used in tyre construction change during a tyre’s life. The purpose of the research is to seek to understand what kind of relationship exists between the chronological age of a tyre and its structural integrity. The research will also consider other ageing effects such as those that occur due to tyre use and maintenance.
We expect the preliminary findings of the research to be available in the autumn of 2018, and would hope to publish a report by the end of the year. The research will address the current interest in bus and coach tyres but, should it produce strong evidence of risk, the findings may well be relevant to other heavy vehicles and possibly to vans and passenger cars.
The Department has made an appropriate budget available with which to undertake this research. The contract should be in place by the end of the year, and once it is finalised details will be listed on the Department for Transport’s website.
Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Garston and Halewood)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what budget his Department has set aside for its proposed research into the safety implications of tyres on buses and coaches being more than 10 years old.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Department for Transport is in the process of commissioning research to investigate how the properties of materials used in tyre construction change during a tyre’s life. The purpose of the research is to seek to understand what kind of relationship exists between the chronological age of a tyre and its structural integrity. The research will also consider other ageing effects such as those that occur due to tyre use and maintenance.
We expect the preliminary findings of the research to be available in the autumn of 2018, and would hope to publish a report by the end of the year. The research will address the current interest in bus and coach tyres but, should it produce strong evidence of risk, the findings may well be relevant to other heavy vehicles and possibly to vans and passenger cars.
The Department has made an appropriate budget available with which to undertake this research. The contract should be in place by the end of the year, and once it is finalised details will be listed on the Department for Transport’s website.
Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Garston and Halewood)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what research he plans to commission into the safety implications of tyres on buses and coaches being more than 10 years old.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Department for Transport is in the process of commissioning research to investigate how the properties of materials used in tyre construction change during a tyre’s life. The purpose of the research is to seek to understand what kind of relationship exists between the chronological age of a tyre and its structural integrity. The research will also consider other ageing effects such as those that occur due to tyre use and maintenance.
We expect the preliminary findings of the research to be available in the autumn of 2018, and would hope to publish a report by the end of the year. The research will address the current interest in bus and coach tyres but, should it produce strong evidence of risk, the findings may well be relevant to other heavy vehicles and possibly to vans and passenger cars.
The Department has made an appropriate budget available with which to undertake this research. The contract should be in place by the end of the year, and once it is finalised details will be listed on the Department for Transport’s website.
Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Garston and Halewood)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 14 November 2017 to Question 113095 on buses: tyres, whether the estimated cost of £200,000 for including a check on the age of tyres as part of the annual MOT is estimated on an annual basis.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The estimated cost of £200,000 for including a check on the age of tyres as part of the annual MOT is estimated on an annual basis.
Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Garston and Halewood)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will estimate the cost of including a check on the age of tyres as part of the annual MOT test of public service vehicles.
Answered by Jesse Norman
Expert advice suggests that tyre ageing is a complex issue where use and maintenance are significant factors rather than simply chronological age. As tyre condition can be affected by many different factors, the annual roadworthiness test for public service vehicles currently includes up to seventeen individual assessments to determine the appropriate application and state of each tyre fitted on a vehicle.
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency estimates the inclusion of this additional item into the annual test for public service vehicles would cost approximately £200,000 on a full cost recovery basis. Departmental guidance on using older tyres has been effective, with high levels of compliance by PSV operators. But the Government is ready to take further steps as and where necessary.
Tyre age surveys, conducted by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, have identified that it is not always possible to view the date code on tyres owing to the way in which dual tyres are fitted to the rear axles of many heavy vehicles.
Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Garston and Halewood)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure that the tolls on the New Mersey Gateway bridge are clearly signposted for motorists crossing that bridge.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Mersey Gateway is on the local highway network. Signage is the responsibility of the local highway authority – Halton Borough Council – and the operator of the Mersey Gateway Bridge – Merseyflow.
Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Garston and Halewood)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on the number of people who have been fined for failure to pay the toll on the New Mersey Gateway bridge since it opened; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Department for Transport holds no information on the number of people who have been fined for failure to pay the toll on the new Mersey Gateway Bridge since it opened. This is a matter for the scheme’s promoter - Halton Borough Council - and operator - Merseyflow.
Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Garston and Halewood)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of legislation related to parking on pavements in ensuring pedestrian safety.
Answered by Jesse Norman
Local authorities are responsible for assessing the needs of all road users in their areas and for implementing appropriate traffic management measures. If a local authority considers that the safety of pedestrians in a particular location is compromised by pavement parking they have the powers necessary to deal with it through a Traffic Regulation Order (TRO).
As part of our discussions with local authorities and other stakeholders, my department is planning to launch a survey in autumn 2017 in order to gather evidence about the TRO procedure, the costs and timescales for processing TROs, and information about options for change.