Asked by: Steve Barclay (Conservative - North East Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the National Audit Office report entitled, Maintaining strategic infrastructure roads, HC169, published on 6 June 2014, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on local highways of local authorities not implementing guidance from the highways of maintenance efficiency programme.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
The Department for Transport continues to work closely with the all parts of the sector to help spread best practice in highways asset management, including through the Highways Maintenance Efficiency. It is recommended that local highway authorities have an asset management strategy in place to ensure the efficient delivery of highway maintenance service for which they are responsible.
The development of highways asset management plans and strategies is entirely a matter for each local highway authority. As the National Audit Office report highlighted many authorities are currently at different stages of implementing such plans. The Department does not, therefore, hold comprehensive data on how many authorities have up to date asset management plans in place.
Asked by: Steve Barclay (Conservative - North East Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 24 February 2014, Official Report, column 237W, on large goods vehicles: speed limits, what progress has been made on the Government's further impact assessment of increasing the speed limit for hauliers from 40mph to 50mph.
Answered by Stephen Hammond
Ministers are giving careful consideration to any potential impacts of raising the speed limit for HGVs over 7.5t from 40mph to 50 mph on single carriageway roads and a further impact assessment has been undertaken as part of that process.
I want to make sure careful consideration is given to the evidence of all of the effects of raising the speed limit; on the economy, environment and road safety before a decision is made. I will consider the responses received and evidence presented before publishing a Response Report and impact assessment on our website.
Asked by: Steve Barclay (Conservative - North East Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 25 February 2014, Official Report, column 242W, on tractors, if his Department will issue a response to the consultation on raising speed limits for low-speed tractors from 20mph to 25mph.
Answered by Stephen Hammond
Minsters are giving careful consideration to the results of the consultation on raising speed limit for low-speed tractors from 20mph to 25mph.
I will consider the responses received and evidence presented before publishing a Response Report on our website.
Asked by: Steve Barclay (Conservative - North East Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent estimate his Department has made of the cost per mile of building cycle lanes; and what steps he is taking to reduce this cost in rural areas.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
The Department does not estimate the cost per mile of building cycle lanes. Cycling infrastructure varies in design and cost due to the location and scheme design. The provision of cycling facilities is a matter for local authorities and as such they are best placed to determine the spend per mile for building cycle lanes. The Department does provide best practice information in cycle infrastructure design through its publication Cycle Infrastructure Design (Local Transport Note 2/08). The Department encourages local authorities, both in urban and rural areas, to obtain best value in the provision of highways infrastructure.