Asked by: Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff Central)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what public information campaigns his Department undertakes to promote adherence to the highway code.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The department promotes adherence to The Highway Code via:
The Highway Code is published by the DVSA, which promotes adherence with the code via direct communications to learner drivers and via accredited driving instructors.
Asked by: Ben Bradshaw (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of whether his Department will meet its target of increasing the proportion of children aged 5 to 10 who usually walk to school to 55 per cent by 2025.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Government’s most recent assessment of progress towards meeting its active travel goals was set out in the Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy (CWIS) report to Parliament in July 2022, a copy of which is available in the House Libraries. The most recent National Travel Survey statistics for 2021 show that the proportion of children aged 5 to 10 who usually walk to school was 49 per cent. The latest statistics for 2022 are due to be published in September 2023 and the Government will provide a further assessment in its next report to Parliament.
Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress his Department has made on delivering the Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Government’s most recent assessment of progress towards delivering the Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy was set out in the Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy report to Parliament in July 2022, a copy of which is available in the House Libraries.
Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to his Department's publication entitled The second cycling and walking investment strategy, published 10 March 2023, what progress his Department has made on completing its objective of increasing walking activity to 365 stages per person per year by 2025.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Government’s most recent assessment of progress towards meeting its active travel goals was set out in the Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy (CWIS) report to Parliament in July 2022, a copy of which is available in the House Libraries. The most recent National Travel Survey statistics for 2021 show that the number of walking stages per person per year fell to 279 stages following impacts from the pandemic. The previous (CWIS1) objective of 300 stages per person had consistently been achieved from 2015 to 2019, with an average of 331 stages per person per year across this period, which is why the objective was made more ambitious in CWIS2. The latest statistics for 2022 are due to be published in September 2023, and the Department will provide a further assessment in its next report to Parliament in due course.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has made an assessment of the effectiveness of the Mini Holland Feasibility Studies on encouraging Low Traffic Neighbourhoods since that scheme was introduced.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Department has commissioned several feasibility studies through its mini-Holland pilot programme. The studies considered a broad range of approaches to improve safety and accessibility of local high streets and surrounding areas to enable higher levels of walking, wheeling and cycling, including area-wide traffic management approaches such as low traffic neighbourhoods. Three mini-Hollands schemes were funded as part of Active Travel Fund 4 following assessment of study material.
Responsibility for traffic management on local roads rests with the relevant local authority as they are best placed to consider how local needs can be effectively met. It is entirely a matter for individual authorities to decide on the nature and scope of policies. The Government has been clear that traffic management schemes should always be developed through consultation and engagement with local communities.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether it is his Department policy to remove Low Traffic Neighbourhoods from the Active Travel Fund 4 Proforma.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Department has commissioned several feasibility studies through its mini-Holland pilot programme. The studies considered a broad range of approaches to improve safety and accessibility of local high streets and surrounding areas to enable higher levels of walking, wheeling and cycling, including area-wide traffic management approaches such as low traffic neighbourhoods. Three mini-Hollands schemes were funded as part of Active Travel Fund 4 following assessment of study material.
Responsibility for traffic management on local roads rests with the relevant local authority as they are best placed to consider how local needs can be effectively met. It is entirely a matter for individual authorities to decide on the nature and scope of policies. The Government has been clear that traffic management schemes should always be developed through consultation and engagement with local communities.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reason his Department has reduced the planned level of funding for active travel in the period to 2025; and if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of reducing funding for road building measures as an alternative.
Answered by Jesse Norman
This Government has done more than any other in relation to the promotion of walking and cycling, and it remains fully committed to the vision that by 2030 half of all journeys in towns and cities are walked or cycled as well as to the objectives outlined in the second statutory Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy.
Around £3 billion is projected to be invested in active travel up to 2025, despite the need for efficiency savings across Government. These were due to global financial pressures, triggered by the impact of Putin’s illegal war in Ukraine, as well as by supply chain disruption as the global economy recovers from the effects of Covid-19.
These factors are affecting all areas of transport spend. However, the Department is managing inflation within the existing budgets by deferring the construction and development of several major schemes, as set out in the Secretary of State’s statement to Parliament on 9th March.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of funding cuts to active travel on the (a) use of active travel and (b) delivery of climate mitigation measures.
Answered by Jesse Norman
This Government has done more than any other in relation to the promotion of walking and cycling. Around £3 billion is projected to be invested in active travel up to 2025, despite the need for efficiency savings across Government. The Department remains committed to the vision that half of all short journeys will be walked or cycled by 2030.
The Transport Decarbonisation Plan, published in 2021, set out the emissions savings that active travel could deliver by 2050, as well as its other benefits including for the environment more widely and for health. The Department will continue to act as needed to decarbonise transport, including publishing progress updates and reviewing the pathway at least every five years.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps to ensure that funding for active travel is not reduced in the north of England.
Answered by Jesse Norman
This Government has done more than any other in relation to the promotion of walking and cycling. Around £3 billion is projected to be invested in active travel up to 2025, despite the need for efficiency savings across Government. The Department remains committed to the vision that half of all short journeys will be walked or cycled by 2030.
Active Travel England provides funding to local authorities in England outside London, based on common criteria across all regions. These include local authorities’ technical capability to deliver active travel projects, the quality of bids received, deprivation and population levels.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the likelihood of meeting his target to increase annual cycling stages to 1.6 billion by 2025.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Government’s most recent assessment of progress towards meeting its active travel goals was set out in the Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy report to Parliament in July 2022, a copy of which is available in the House Libraries. On this particular target, the report noted that although there had been a significant increase of around 45% in the number of stages cycled between 2013 and 2020, further increases were required. The Department will provide an updated assessment in its next report to Parliament in due course.