6th January
Cycling
Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 27 November 2013, Official Report,columns 303-4W, on cycling, how the £35 million invested to deliver safer junctions for cyclists has been allocated by (a)region and (b) city.
Mr Goodwill: Of the £35 million funding allocated to cycling, £15 million was granted to Transport for London (TfL) for investment in cycle safety. This included improved provision for cyclists at Bow, St George’s Circus, Waterloo Roundabout, and at other locations identified in TfL’s Cycle Safety Junction Review. £20 million has been allocated to schemes focused on areas outside London. The list of schemes outside London is available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/181205/cycle-safety-fund-list.xls
The scheme information is broken down by region and cities. An update of the list of schemes which includes two further schemes will be available on the web shortly.
Driving: Licensing
Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many cases of suspended driving licences involving the DVLA’s medical officer have been outstanding for (a) three, (b) three to six and (c) over six months; how many cases there were in each such category 12 months ago; and what steps he is taking to reduce the number of such cases.
Stephen Hammond: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) handle approximately 625,000 cases each year where investigations are required due to a medical condition being declared. In the interests of road safety the more complex cases are considered by the DVLA’s Medical Advisers.
The following information is based on the number of cases under consideration where individuals do not have entitlement to drive because their driving licence has been refused or revoked previously.
Further information is available here.
Pedestrian Crossings
Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will review departmental guidance on (a) pedestrian crossings and (b) the time allowed for a pedestrian to cross. [180705]
Mr Goodwill: The Department’s guidance on designing pedestrian crossings, including setting timings, is given in Local Transport Note 1/95: The Assessment of Pedestrian Crossings, Local Transport Note 2/95: The Design of Pedestrian Crossings, and Traffic Advisory Leaflet 5/05: Pedestrian Facilities at Signal-controlled Junctions.
The Department is currently undertaking a review of traffic signing legislation, including the Zebra, Pelican and Puffin Pedestrian Crossings Regulations and General Directions. Once this is concluded, the Department will consider the need to update guidance to reflect these changes.
Further information is available here.
Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will commission a review of guidance on the location of pedestrian crossings to ensure that casualties are minimised.
Mr Goodwill: The Department’s guidance on designing pedestrian crossings, including setting timings, is given in Local Transport Note 1/95; The Assessment of Pedestrian Crossings, Local Transport Note 2/95: The Design of Pedestrian Crossings, and Traffic Advisory Leaflet 5/05: Pedestrian Facilities at Signal-controlled Junctions.
The Department is currently undertaking a review of traffic signing legislation, including the Zebra, Pelican and Puffin Pedestrian Crossings Regulations and General Directions. Once this is concluded, the Department will consider the need to update guidance to reflect these changes.
Mike Crockart: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to review (a) the current guidance on pedestrian crossings and (b) the amount of time pedestrians have to cross the road at those crossings. [181929]
Mr Goodwill: The Department’s guidance on designing pedestrian crossings, including setting timings, is given in Local Transport Note 1/95: The Assessment of Pedestrian Crossings, Local Transport Note 2/95: The Design of Pedestrian Crossings, and Traffic Advisory Leaflet 5/05: Pedestrian Facilities at Signal-controlled Junctions.
Further information is available here.
Pedestrian Crossings: Schools
Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make an assessment of the effect of recent changes in the number of school crossing patrol officers on the safety of children’s journeys to and from school.
Mr Goodwill: The provision of school crossing patrol services, is a matter for local authorities. The Government has no plans to review the impact of any changes made.
The Government’s latest statistics show that there were 6,106 child casualties in accidents occurring between 7.30 am and 8.59 am or between 3.00 pm and 4.59 pm on a school day in 2012, of which 827 were killed and seriously injured (KSI). This represents a fall of 12% in KSI compared to the 2005-09 average.
8th January
Written Statement
Air Navigation Guidance
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Mr Robert Goodwill): Today I am pleased to announce the publication of a revised version of the air navigation guidance. I am grateful for the technical assistance of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and the input of those who responded to the consultation—carried out in summer 2013. A summary of the responses to the consultation and the Government’s reply to these responses is being published alongside the new guidance.
Under the Transport Act 2000, the CAA is required to take account of environmental guidance given to it by the Secretary of State when exercising its air navigation functions. The new guidance has two key objectives. The first is to provide the CAA with additional clarity on the Government’s environmental objectives relating to air navigation in the UK, including the need to improve the efficiency of our UK airspace network. The second is a reaffirmation of the need to consult local communities near airports when airspace changes are being considered in the vicinity of these airports. The guidance now reflects significant developments such as the creation of the future airspace strategy and single European sky, and the aviation policy framework.
Further information is available here.
Written Answers
Driving: Young People
Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people aged under 22 (a) applied for a driving licence and (b) passed their driving test in (i) Great Britain, (ii) Scotland, (iii) Wales and (iv) each English region in each of the last 10 years.
Stephen Hammond: The total number of applications received from people aged under 22 is not available.
However, 8,445,132 driving licences have been issued to people under the age of 22 in the last 10 years. Of this, 7,337,437 were for a first provisional driving licence. Below is a breakdown of the total number of licences issued to people under the age of 22 per year.
Pedestrian Crossings
Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has made an assessment of the case for lowering the assumed 1.2 metres per second walking speed used for calculating crossing times in his Department’s guidance.
Mr Goodwill: The Department’s guidance on designing pedestrian crossings, including setting timings, is given in Local Transport Note 1/95: The Assessment of Pedestrian Crossings, Local Transport Note 2/95: The Design of Pedestrian Crossings, and Traffic Advisory Leaflet 5/05: Pedestrian Facilities at Signal-controlled Junctions.
The Department recommends that where a crossing may be used by a large number of older people or those with mobility issues, for example outside residential care homes, this should be taken into account when setting timings.
The Department is currently undertaking a review of traffic signing legislation, including the Zebra, Pelican and Puffin Pedestrian Crossings Regulations and General Directions. Once this is concluded, the Department will consider the need to update guidance to reflect these changes.
Roads: Safety Measures
Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 16 December 2013, Official Report,columns 427-8W, on roads repairs and maintenance, for what reasons concrete safety barriers are not also being introduced on dual carriageway A roads; when metal barriers are due to be replaced; and if he will make a statement.
Mr Goodwill: The design of motorways and ‘A’ class trunk roads is different, particularly at junctions, which means that the risk assessment in determining the appropriate type of barrier is different for motorways and ‘A’ roads. The selection of the type of safety barrier for the installation on ‘A’ roads is subject to an assessment on a case by case basis. The assessment takes into account the costs of installation and maintenance as well as accident statistics.
To date concrete safety barrier has been installed on many dual carriageway ‘A’ roads including the A1, A421, A46, A27, A55, A2/A282 and the A12 with future concrete safety barrier works programmed for the A13 and A23.
