Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of re-opening the railway line from Heathfield to Newton Abbot for passenger services.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Newton Abbot to Heathfield line is currently out of use, having last carried freight traffic in 2015 and passenger traffic in 1959. Network Rail consider it important to safeguard the line in case it is restored for passenger and/or freight services in the future, subject to any viable future business case.
Network Rail has previously examined the case for reintroducing passenger services between Newton Abbot and Heathfield. While improved connectivity could deliver benefits, forecast demand was relatively low and was not considered sufficient to justify the significant costs of upgrading and operating a conventional rail service. The business case could, however, change in future if costs reduce or demand increases.
Interest has emerged in using the route as a trial corridor for battery powered Very Light Rail (VLR) vehicles. This could provide a lower-cost way of reintroducing passenger services while also testing innovative low-carbon transport technology. Before any decision could be made, further engineering, commercial and economic assessments would be needed to confirm whether a VLR scheme is viable. This work would need to examine funding and operating arrangements, technical and regulatory requirements, and the potential impact on any future plans to reinstate heavy rail freight services.
Network Rail considers that further work on the VLR option would help establish whether it could offer a practical and affordable means of restoring passenger services on the route.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of autonomous robots on pavements on a) disabled people b) blind people c) those with a mobility aid d) those with a guide dog and e) wheelchair users.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Advances in technology have the potential to boost our economy and undertake dangerous jobs such as highways maintenance, but it is important the safety of pedestrians and vulnerable road users is put first.
We have announced that we intend to trial pavement robots using powers the Government is seeking through the Regulating for Growth Bill, but no permanent regulations will come into force without detailed public consultation.
A key part of the trial will be understanding the impact on pedestrians, particularly the most vulnerable groups.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will introduce regulations on autonomous robots on pavements.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government has announced that it will facilitate new trials of pavement delivery robots through powers in the Regulating for Growth Bill.
This will be done with a view to creating a clear, lawful route to market for pavement delivery robots that protects the safety of pedestrians and vulnerable road users.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will take steps to introduce a duty to report car collisions with cats.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
There are no plans to introduce a legal duty for drivers to report collisions with cats.
Because cats are much smaller than other specified animals, and often most active at dawn or dusk, in many cases drivers may not be aware they’ve hit them – particularly with larger vehicles. Because of that, it would be difficult to prosecute drivers if the law was changed.
This is a compassionate country and although there is no obligation to report all animal deaths on roads, drivers should, if possible, make enquiries to ascertain the owner of domestic animals, such as cats, and advise them of the situation.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department plans to take to help improve the Greater Western region after it is absorbed into Great British Railways.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
This Government is committed to creating a unified and simplified railway that puts customers first, rebuilding trust and placing passenger operations under public ownership and control. Public ownership alone is not a silver bullet but a vital step towards wider reform to bring track and train together under Great British Railways (GBR).
The Railways Bill will establish GBR as a new ‘directing mind’ for the industry. It will bring track and train under one public body to improve services for passengers and freight customers. This will ultimately provide better value for taxpayers, by streamlining the rail sector and bringing together roles and responsibilities that are currently fragmented across multiple bodies and organisations.
Part of the planning for the transfer of train operating companies into public ownership, including Great Western Railway, is to identify cost effective actions to be taken to help deliver value for money, affordable improvements as we move towards GBR.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate her Department has made of the proportion of traffic signals in England that are operating beyond their recommended lifecycle; and what plans she has to support their replacement.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Local Highway Authorities are responsible for traffic signals on their networks, including monitoring and assessment of assets. However, the Department for Transport sponsors the Transport Technology Forum and works with the traffic systems industry to understand the state of associated equipment in use in England.
Based on this collaboration the Department for Transport has, on an exceptional basis, provided £65 million in funding to English local highway authorities for traffic systems since 2022. In 2022 the Department for Transport provided £15m in targeted grants to 39 local authorities through the Traffic Signals Maintenance (TSM) fund to address general equipment renewals and upgrades.
In 2023 a further £50m was provided. £40m was given in two targeted grants to 68 local and combined authorities: the Traffic Signal Obsolescence Grant to replace obsolete equipment and the Green Light Fund to address operational enhancements and new technology provision for traffic systems.
The remaining £10m was given to all English Highway Authorities for traffic signal maintenance and a general technology upgrades.
In terms of the strategic road network, National Highways will continue to assess and prioritise investment in upgrading roadside technology during the third roads investment period.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the implications for her Department's policies of the ITS sector’s Stuck on Red campaign.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Local Highway Authorities are responsible for traffic signals on their networks, including monitoring and assessment of assets. However, the Department for Transport sponsors the Transport Technology Forum and works with the traffic systems industry to understand the state of associated equipment in use in England.
Based on this collaboration the Department for Transport has, on an exceptional basis, provided £65 million in funding to English local highway authorities for traffic systems since 2022. In 2022 the Department for Transport provided £15m in targeted grants to 39 local authorities through the Traffic Signals Maintenance (TSM) fund to address general equipment renewals and upgrades.
In 2023 a further £50m was provided. £40m was given in two targeted grants to 68 local and combined authorities: the Traffic Signal Obsolescence Grant to replace obsolete equipment and the Green Light Fund to address operational enhancements and new technology provision for traffic systems.
The remaining £10m was given to all English Highway Authorities for traffic signal maintenance and a general technology upgrades.
In terms of the strategic road network, National Highways will continue to assess and prioritise investment in upgrading roadside technology during the third roads investment period.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the impact of obsolete traffic signals on congestion, journey time reliability, and emissions.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Local Highway Authorities are responsible for traffic signals on their networks, including monitoring and assessment of assets. However, the Department for Transport sponsors the Transport Technology Forum and works with the traffic systems industry to understand the state of associated equipment in use in England.
Based on this collaboration the Department for Transport has, on an exceptional basis, provided £65 million in funding to English local highway authorities for traffic systems since 2022. In 2022 the Department for Transport provided £15m in targeted grants to 39 local authorities through the Traffic Signals Maintenance (TSM) fund to address general equipment renewals and upgrades.
In 2023 a further £50m was provided. £40m was given in two targeted grants to 68 local and combined authorities: the Traffic Signal Obsolescence Grant to replace obsolete equipment and the Green Light Fund to address operational enhancements and new technology provision for traffic systems.
The remaining £10m was given to all English Highway Authorities for traffic signal maintenance and a general technology upgrades.
In terms of the strategic road network, National Highways will continue to assess and prioritise investment in upgrading roadside technology during the third roads investment period.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps the Department is taking to support the rollout of smart and adaptive traffic signal technologies.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Local Highway Authorities are responsible for traffic signals on their networks, including monitoring and assessment of assets. However, the Department for Transport sponsors the Transport Technology Forum and works with the traffic systems industry to understand the state of associated equipment in use in England.
Based on this collaboration the Department for Transport has, on an exceptional basis, provided £65 million in funding to English local highway authorities for traffic systems since 2022. In 2022 the Department for Transport provided £15m in targeted grants to 39 local authorities through the Traffic Signals Maintenance (TSM) fund to address general equipment renewals and upgrades.
In 2023 a further £50m was provided. £40m was given in two targeted grants to 68 local and combined authorities: the Traffic Signal Obsolescence Grant to replace obsolete equipment and the Green Light Fund to address operational enhancements and new technology provision for traffic systems.
The remaining £10m was given to all English Highway Authorities for traffic signal maintenance and a general technology upgrades.
In terms of the strategic road network, National Highways will continue to assess and prioritise investment in upgrading roadside technology during the third roads investment period.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the department plans to respond to the hon. member about the correspondence sent on 21 April 2026 with case ref MW13815.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Correspondence ref: MW13815 of 21/04/2026 was accepted as a transfer case by HM Treasury. The issues raised relating to Vehicle Excise Duty fall within the policy responsibilities of that Department. An email was sent to you on 24th April to confirm this.