Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which particular measures his Department has included in its Road Safety Statement of 21 December 2015 to help reduce the number of cyclists killed and injured every year.

The government has a manifesto commitment to reduce the number of cyclists and other road users killed or injured on our roads every year and we published our British Road Safety Statement, setting out our priorities in achieving that goal on 21 December 2015.

The Statement describes a series of actions to be undertaken across government over the short, medium and long term. Several of these contribute specifically to cyclist safety, including:

• Continue with £50 million investment to deliver Bikeability training in schools, providing the next generation of cyclists with the skills and confidence to cycle safely on local roads
• Consult on dangerous in-car mobile phone use with a view to increasing penalties for offenders
• Consult on legislative changes on HGV sideguards
• Encourage development and implementation of improved HGV design
• Develop and test new Hazard Perception Test materials to improve learner drivers’ awareness of developing hazards in varying weather and lighting conditions, and broaden the scope of scenarios providing experience of real life situations such as encountering vulnerable road users
• Our commitment to produce a Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy setting out our objectives, activities and funding available for cycling and walking in England in the long term. The Strategy will be published in the summer and will include details of how the £300m committed in the recent Spending Review will be invested to support cycling and walking.