Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 17 January 2019 to Question 20610 on Road Traffic Control: West Sussex, what criteria Highways England used to support the scheme in the absence of a Walking, Cycling and Horse-riding assessment at each stage of the process.

A Walking, Cycling and Horse Riding Assessment is carried out by the relevant design team, not Highways England. In this case, we understand that the options and concept stages of the scheme began in the autumn of 2016 before the publication of the Walking, Cycling and Horse Riding Assessment and were subject to the applicable standard on Non-Motorised User Audits. The Transport Assessment accompanying the planning application provided information satisfying the criteria for a non-motorised user context report.

A Review Report is required at the end of the preliminary design stage and before commencement of detailed design followed by a further Review Report at the end of the detailed design phase and before construction commences. The design team is now at the end of the preliminary design stage, but detailed design has not yet begun. A Review Report is now due and will be completed before the commencement of detailed design.

The preliminary design improved pedestrian, cycle and equestrian access in the vicinity of the South Downs National Park, and further opportunities for improvement may be identified through a forthcoming Walking, Cycling and Horse Riding Review. The preliminary design was also compliant with Highways England’s design standards for cycle provision. Any non-compliance identified during detailed design will be removed or be subject to the process of assessment whether there may be grounds for a specific variation.