Asked by: Alex Mayer (Labour - Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will publish which local authorities have the powers to enforce moving traffic restrictions.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Local authorities in London have had the powers to enforce moving traffic contraventions since 2003. In 2022, regulations came into effect under the Traffic Management Act 2004 to allow local authorities in England outside London to apply for moving traffic enforcement powers. To date, 73 local authorities outside London have been granted moving traffic enforcement powers. All of the Designation Orders are available on the Government’s legislation website. The links to each are here: www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2022/686/made; www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2023/698/made; www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2024/1135/made.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to ensure equitable parking enforcement debt collection practices.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
To ensure an enforcement regime that is fair and proportionate, the Department for Transport published the ‘Statutory guidance for local authorities in England on civil enforcement of parking contraventions’, which sets out the appropriate debt collection practices together with links to the applicable legislation. Local authorities in England with civil parking enforcement powers must have regard to this statutory guidance under Section 87 of the Traffic Management Act 2004. Matters relating to private parking and local authority operated off-street car parks are the responsibility of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of enabling local authorities to apply to use ANPR to enforce designated pedestrian zones.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Moving traffic contraventions, including entry into a designated pedestrian zone, may be civilly enforced by designated local authorities using CCTV prescribed by regulations made under the Traffic Management Act 2004.
By using these cameras local authorities are able to capture not just the number plate and location, but the wider context, to establish whether a contravention has occurred.
In the Department’s view, ANPR technology could not in isolation provide the functionality needed for fair and effective civil enforcement.
Asked by: Alex Mayer (Labour - Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of allowing local authorities to use automatic number plate recognition for car park management.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
Local Authorities are allowed to use ANPR and associated recording equipment for enforcing both on and off-street parking contraventions. However, the use of ANPR by Local Authorities as the sole means for enforcing parking contraventions is forbidden under the Traffic Management Act 2004 (TMA) Regulations. This means that whilst local authorities can use ANPR, they cannot issue penalty charge notices via post following the detection of a parking contravention by ANPR in all but a very limited number of exceptions. Such exceptions include if the motorist drives away before the ticket can be issued, and certain on-street circumstances relating to bus lanes and red routes.
The rationale behind this restriction of ANPR usage is to make non-compliant motorists aware at the time that they have contravened a parking regulation. There are currently no plans to revise the TMA.
Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool Wavertree)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the annual cost is of (a) overrunning and (b) delayed road maintenance works.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Under the 1980 Highway Act, it is the responsibility of the local highway authority to maintain and manage the highway network it is responsible for.
The Department for Transport does not collect nor require local highway authorities to provide data about the costs of overrunning and/or delayed road maintenance works. However, it recognises that overrunning works can cause significant disruption to people’s journeys and congestion. For example, overrunning works by utility companies have previously been estimated to cost the economy over £4 billion per year.
The Traffic Management Act 2004 (TMA) contains powers to enable authorities to operate permit schemes, which have been essential in improving the management and coordination of works, thereby reducing disruption and impacts on road users.
Asked by: Lord Bradshaw (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans, if any, they have to prevent local authorities from taking measures to reduce traffic congestion in their areas.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Government is committed to maintaining and renewing the road network, to ensure it serves drivers, cyclists, pedestrians and other road users.
Responsibility for traffic management on local roads rests with local traffic authorities. They have a statutory duty, under the Traffic Management Act 2004, to manage their networks with the aim of ‘securing the expeditious movement of traffic’, including the reduction of congestion and other disruption.
Local authorities already have a wide range of tools available to help them achieve this. As such, they are free to make decisions about what is needed on their roads, provided they take account of the relevant legislation.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many highway authorities have applied to the Department for Transport for civil enforcement of moving traffic offences, as set out in Part 6 of the Traffic Management Act 2004; and how many highway authorities have been granted these powers.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton
Designation Orders granting powers to civilly enforce contraventions of moving traffic restrictions outside London are being introduced in tranches reflecting applicant local authorities’ different states of readiness. The first Order came into force on 15 July 2022 in respect of 12 local authorities. A second Order is currently before Parliament and is due to come into force on 22 July 2023 in respect of a further 40 local authorities. All applications had to meet a list of prerequisites set by Ministers in statutory guidance.
Subject to approval of the Parliamentary Business and Legislation Committee, a third Order is planned for early 2024, for which the application deadline is 25 October. No formal applications have yet been received.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment his Department has made of the impact of low traffic neighbourhoods on levels of congestion.
Answered by Richard Holden - Shadow Secretary of State for Transport
Responsibility for traffic management on local roads, including the implementation of low-traffic neighbourhoods, rests with local traffic authorities. They have a statutory duty, under the Traffic Management Act 2004, to manage their networks with the aim of ‘securing the expeditious movement of traffic’, including the reduction of congestion and other disruption.
Asked by: Gavin Williamson (Conservative - Stone, Great Wyrley and Penkridge)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has provided guidance to local authorities on whether companies are required to provide notice to local authorities when digging up pathways.
Answered by Richard Holden - Shadow Secretary of State for Transport
Highway authorities have a duty to manage their networks effectively by co-ordinating works taking place on their roads under the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991 and the Traffic Management Act 2004.
Before planning to carry out works on the highway, which includes the footway, utility companies must seek permission (a permit) from the highway authority and agree how long the works will take. If they take longer than expected, the highway authority can levy penalty charges against the utility. The Government does provide statutory guidance on the operation of permit schemes: www.gov.uk/government/publications/street-works-the-2007-permit-scheme-regulations-as-amended-in-2015
Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North and Cottingham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department is taking steps to support the local authority to reduce traffic congestion in Kingston upon Hull.
Answered by Richard Holden - Shadow Secretary of State for Transport
The causes of congestion can be systemic, for example increasing population and urbanisation, or more localised, for example network pinch points, inadequate public transport or road works. Measures to combat congestion can be aimed at increasing capacity and / or decreasing demand.
Local traffic authorities have a statutory duty under the Traffic Management Act 2004 to manage their networks with the aim of ‘securing the expeditious movement of traffic’. The Department for Transport helps local authorities in achieving this by supporting sustainable alternative modes and providing design and other guidance as well as investment in infrastructure and innovative, data-led solutions.
The Government has already made record amounts of funding available to local authorities for investment in active travel schemes since the start of the pandemic. The second statutory Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy, published in July 2022, reiterated the Government’s commitment to this important agenda and set out the funding that is projected to be spent on it from 2020/21 to 2024/25.
The National Bus Strategy asked that all English Local Transport Authorities outside London publish Bus Service Improvement Plans, setting out local visions for the step-change in bus services that is needed, driven by what passengers and would-be passengers want. We have awarded over £1 billion to deliver service improvements, bus priority and ambitious fares initiatives.
The Government continues to invest in new technologies and the use of data to better manage road networks and provide accurate data about events such as congestion, to road users. For example, the department has invested several million pounds in creating ‘Street Manager’, a data platform which helps highway authorities and utility companies to plan and co-ordinate their road works.