Asked by: Bill Esterson (Labour - Sefton Central)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will issue guidance to local authorities on (a) effective and (b) efficient ways to allocate pothole and road maintenance funding.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department allocates pothole and highway maintenance capital funding to local highway authorities in England, outside of London, based on the length of roads, number of street lighting columns, and the number of bridges for which they are responsible. It is up to the respective highway authority how best to spend this funding to fulfil its statutory duty under Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980, based on local knowledge, circumstances and priorities.
The Department strongly advocates a risk-based whole lifecycle asset management approach to local authority highways maintenance programmes. This considers all parts of the highway network, such as bridges, cycleways, and lighting columns – and not just the fixing of potholes.
The Department encourages good practice in local highway maintenance and endorses the UK Roads Leadership Group’s Code of Practice 'Well-managed highway infrastructure' - https://www.ciht.org.uk/ukrlg-home/code-of-practice/. The Code gives advice on all aspects of highway maintenance and Recommendation 32 gives advice on carbon reduction.
Decarbonisation is a key Government priority. Through the ADEPT Live Labs research programme, the Department is investing £30 million into seven projects aimed at reducing carbon by using sustainable materials and processes, such as warm-mix asphalts and asphalt modifiers.
Local highway authorities across England are set to benefit from a major boost in funding for highway maintenance, representing the biggest ever road resurfacing programme to improve local roads. My Department has published details of the £8.3 billion extra road funding which will make an unprecedented transformation in the condition of our highways.
Asked by: Feryal Clark (Labour - Enfield North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to help increase the safety of pedestrians in (a) Enfield North constituency, (b) the London Borough of Enfield and (c) London.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport updated the Highway Code on 29 January 2022 to include changes to improve safety for cyclists, pedestrians and horse riders. However, responsibility for managing London's road network is shared between Transport for London (TfL), National Highways, and the 32 London boroughs, plus the City of London. They are responsible for making decisions about local roads, based on their local knowledge and taking into account local needs.
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool, Walton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to increase public awareness of the January 2022 changes to The Highway Code.
Answered by Anthony Browne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The January 2022 changes to The Highway Code to help improve road safety for people walking, cycling and horse riding have been communicated via:
As a result, the percentage of road users reporting to know either a little or a lot about the Highway Code changes increased from 36% in January 2022 to 58% in August 2022, with 83% of road users having heard of the changes by August 2022.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he has taken to help reduce road deaths of cyclists and pedestrians.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
In January 2022 this Government updated The Highway Code to improve road safety for people walking, cycling and riding horses. Changes aim to initiate a positive shift in road user behaviour by making road users aware of their responsibility to use roads safely and reduce the danger they may pose to others.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government how they define the term ‘pothole’.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
There is no nationally agreed definition of a pothole. It is up to local authorities to decide which surface defects on the highway to treat, following a risk-based approach. This is set out in the best practice document “Well Managed Highway Infrastructure: A Code of Practice”, which is available online.
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to help increase the safety of pedestrians in (a) City of Durham constituency and (b) County Durham.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The Department for Transport updated The Highway Code on 29 January 2022 to include changes to improve safety for cyclists, pedestrians and horse riders.
The local council has responsibility for making decisions about local roads, based on its local knowledge and taking into account local needs.
Durham City Council was also awarded £528,000 from the Safer Roads Fund in 2016/17 for improvements to the A67. Pedestrian related improvements funded included pedestrian crossing points at various locations along the A67 in Barnard castle and Startforth Park.
Asked by: Greg Knight (Conservative - East Yorkshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of motorcycle air vests in reducing injuries to motorcyclists; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
Research on ‘Inflatable Protective Clothing for Motorcyclists’ was commissioned in December 2016. As the draft findings were inconclusive, the Department decided not to put any further resource into this research and the draft report was not finalised for publication. The Department does advise riders to wear protective clothing. Rule 84 in The Highway Code states: “Strong boots, gloves and suitable clothing may help to protect you if you are involved in a collision”.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential safety merits of requiring bells to be attached to new bicycles for (i) pedestrians and (ii) people with hearing impairments; and whether his Department holds data on the potential impact of the removal of that requirement in 2011 on the number of accidents occurring between bicycles and pedestrians.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Pedal Bicycles (Safety) Regulations 2010 require bicycles to be fitted with a bell at point of sale. Rule 66 of The Highway Code recommends that bells are fitted to cycles, and that people who cycle should always be considerate of other road users, including by calling out or ringing their bell if they have one. The Government does not intend to legislate to make the use of bells on cycles mandatory as there are other ways for people who cycle to warn other road users of their presence.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of speed limits for e-bikes in areas also used by pedestrians.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Department has made no such assessment. Cyclists, like other road users, must obey the rules of the road as set out in the Highway Code. In the case of e-cycles, the electrical assistance must cut out when the vehicle reaches 15.5mph. There are no plans to introduce speed limits for e-cycles, either on roads or on shared-use cycle and pedestrian tracks.
Asked by: Andrea Leadsom (Conservative - South Northamptonshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps with Cabinet colleagues to require utilities companies to coordinate the digging up of roads and pavements to (a) minimise inconvenience to residents and (b) ensure a good quality of surfacing.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
Government recently published a plan for drivers which included support for further Lane Rental schemes, which reduce roadworks by incentivising utilities to avoid the busiest roads at the busiest times helping to reduce inconvenience for residents. The Department is to consult on requiring local authorities with Lane Rental schemes to use at least 50% of any surplus on pothole repairs or resurfacing poor quality roads and encourages all local transport authorities to get a Lane Rental Scheme if they don’t already.
The efficient co-ordination of street and road works is one of the most important aspects of street works legislation. Section 60 of the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991 (NRSWA) sets a duty on utility companies to use their best endeavours to minimise inconvenience to residents when carrying out street works. In 2020 the Department launched the digital service Street Manager for highway authorities and utility companies within England to plan and manage street works. To further help utility companies fulfil their duty to co-operate in this process, a substantial update to the code of practice for coordination of street works was published earlier this year.
An update to the ‘Specification of the reinstatement of openings in highways’ (SROH) was also published in 2020, outlining the standards for reinstating streets after completing street works. Utility companies must reinstate the street once the work is finished, in-line with these standards. We introduced new regulations in April 2023 that introduced performance-based inspections of reinstatement to improve quality and compliance.