Cycling: Accidents
25th November
Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what resources his Department has allocated to reducing the number of cyclists being killed on the roads.
Mr Goodwill: The safety of all cyclists is important to the Government, that’s why we have invested more in cycling than previous governments. The Department will have spent £278 million directly on cycling in the five years 2010-11 to 2014-15. For example, the Department has allocated £35 million for cycle safety projects at junctions. In addition £535 million has been invested through the Local Sustainable Transport Fund (LSTF) on projects involving cycling. This funding has gone to support cycle infrastructure and training to improve conditions and safety for cyclists.
Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport to what level of detail his Department holds information on the causes of fatal cycle incidents.
Mr Goodwill: Statistical data on reported road traffic accidents do not include information about who or what caused the accident. This information would only be known following a detailed accident investigation.
However, a police officer may choose between one and six different factors that they felt contributed to the accident. The contributory factors reflect the reporting officer’s opinion at the time of reporting and are not necessarily the result of extensive investigation. Moreover it is recognised that subsequent enquires could lead to the reporting officer changing their opinion. It is important to note where some factors may have contributed to an accident it may be difficult for a police officer attending the scene after the accident has occurred to identify these factors.
Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many cycling fatalities were determined to have been caused by (a) an HGV, (b) a bus, (c) a car and (d) an error by the cyclist in the last five years.
Mr Goodwill: The Department does not collect information explicitly on who or what caused road traffic accidents nor does it attribute any blame to drivers or riders for accidents. The Department collects information on contributory factors in accidents which are aimed at providing insight into why and how road accidents occur. The contributory factors reflect the reporting officer’s opinion at the time of reporting and are not necessarily the result of extensive investigation. Moreover it is recognised that subsequent inquires could lead to the reporting officer changing their opinion. It is important to note where some factors may have contributed to a cause of an accident it may be difficult for a police officer attending the scene after the accident has occurred to identify these factors.
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EU Law
18th November:
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport to which EU Directives within his Department’s areas of responsibility the Government has formally opted into in each financial year since May 2010; on what dates each such directive was signed; and if he will make a statement. [175501]
Mr Goodwill: Details of all EU directives that the UK has opted into pursuant to protocol 21 to the treaties on the functioning of the European Union since May 2010 are listed on the Government’s JHA opt-in web page.
The website can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/206297/2_JHA_opt-in_webpage_update_-_data_v)_1.pdf
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what EU directives within his Department’s areas of responsibility have come into force without the need for an opt-in decision in each financial year since May 2010; on what dates each such directive came into force; and if he will make a statement.
Mr Goodwill: Details of all EU legislation, including full details of all EU directives that have come into force since May 2010, can be found on the Commission’s website:
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/RECH_legislation.do
The Government’s position is that the UK’s Justice and Home Affairs opt-in applies to all measures adopted pursuant to title V of part three of the treaty on the functioning of the European Union, as set out in protocol 21 to the treaty on the functioning of the European Union. It follows that the opt-in does not apply to measures adopted that are not pursuant to title v of part three of the treaty on the functioning of the European Union.
Motor Vehicles: Testing
Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on the EU regulation on periodic roadworthiness tests for motor vehicles and the inclusion of caravans within that regulation.
Mr Goodwill: This separate proposal for caravans is an initiative of the European Parliament. There have been no discussions at ministerial level as the UK and other member states adopted a general approach last December that does not include caravans in periodic roadworthiness testing. This remains our position in current negotiations.
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Transport: Roads Accidents
12th November
Richard Burden: To Ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has made an assessment on the relationship between a) changes to the number and funding of reductions to road safety grants, and b) the number of people killed and seriously injured in road traffic accidents between 2010 and 2013?
Robert Goodwill (Assistant Whip, House of Commons; Scarborough and Whitby, Conservative)
The Department has not made any formal assessment of the relationship between (a) changes to the number and funding of reductions to road safety grants and (b) the number of people killed and seriously injured in road traffic accidents between 2010 and 2013.
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Road Signs and Markings
12th November
Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessment he has made of the potential benefits of standardising road signage systems in the EU.
Mr Goodwill: No such assessment has been made. Most traffic sign designs across Europe, including the United Kingdom, are based on international standards set in the Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals 1968.
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Speed Limits
11th November
Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the effect on road safety of the divergence of the UK’s maximum speed limit from that of other European Union member states. [174832]
Mr Goodwill: The Department has made no assessment of the effect of different speed limits in explaining the safety performance of roads in other EU member states. A range of factors will affect road safety in different EU member states, of which speed limits will be one.
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Cycling: Accidents
1st November
John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many cyclists were (a) involved in reported accidents, (b) seriously injured and (c) killed on the national trunk road network in each of the last three years.
Mr Goodwill: The number of cyclists (a) involved in reported accidents, (b) seriously injured and (c) killed on the English national trunk road network, in each of the last three years, are displayed in the following table:
| 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | |
| (a) Involved in reported accidents | 152 | 179 | 169 |
| (b) Seriously injured | 40 | 37 | 45 |
| (c) Killed | 12 | 5 | 8 |
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Motorways: Lighting
30th October
Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has any plans to roll-out LED lighting on Britain’s motorway network; and if he will make a statement.
Mr Goodwill: The Highways Agency, which is responsible for road lighting on the English strategic road network, has no specific plans to roll-out LED lighting on its motorways.
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Roads: Accidents
24th October
Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent estimate he has made of the number of children injured in road accidents on their way to school in the last year; and what proportion of such children were cycling.
Mr Goodwill: There were 2,227 children aged between five and 16 (inclusive) injured in reported road accidents between 7.30 am and 8.59 am on school days in Great Britain during 2012. Of these, 308 (14%) were pedal cyclists. It is likely that a very large majority of these children were travelling to school at the time of the accident.
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Roads: Lighting
24th October
Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what guidance his Department issues to local authorities on the selective switching-off of road lighting at night during poor weather conditions and reduced visibility; and if he will make a statement.
Mr Goodwill: The Department has not issued guidance to local authorities on this matter. It is important that authorities consider the safety, cost and environmental savings before switching off lighting columns, reducing the hours of operation or dimming lighting levels within their areas.
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Roads: Safety
22nd October
Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) how many road safety auditors there were in (a) England, (b)Wales, (c) Northern Ireland and (d) Scotland in each of the last three years; [172015](2) how many certificates of competence in road safety audit have been issued by the Highways Agency in (a) England, (b)Wales, (c) Northern Ireland and (d) Scotland since December 2011.
Mr Goodwill: There is no central list of the number of road safety auditors operating in the United Kingdom and, as such it is not possible to answer the question fully. The best indicator is the current register of members and fellows (including honorary) of the Society of Road Safety Auditors (SoRSA). The total membership is presently 296. There are likely to be many active auditors who are not registered with SoRSA as there is no formal requirement to do so. The IHE (Institute of Highway Engineers) also keep a list of registered Road Safety Audits, this includes the details of 30 practicing road safety auditors, these individuals may or may not be a member of SoRSA. The devolved Administrations have produced their own variations of IAN 152/11 covering the road network they are responsible for, however in respect of the Certificate of Competency process these documents follow the procedure set out in the Highways Agency IAN 152/11.
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Roads: Snow and Ice
14th October
Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will take steps to prevent a significant increase in the number of potholes that are created each winter on Britain’s road network. [170109]
Mr Goodwill: The Department for Transport is providing more than £18 billion for highway maintenance for both the strategic and local road network between 2011 and 2021. This funding will help address the issue of potholes, which we know can cause problems for all highway users.
In addition, the Government also recognises the need for improved highways maintenance over the longer-term and has taken action. In April 2011, the Department for Transport announced a £6 million programme for highways maintenance efficiency to look at longer-term maintenance strategies.
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Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to ensure that the road networks are prepared for heavy snowfall this winter. [170141]
Mr Goodwill: The Department for Transport continues to liaise with local and national partners to improve winter resilience, so that this country enters the forthcoming winter season well prepared. This includes having a national strategic salt reserve of 425,000 tonnes, working closely with local highway authorities to monitor salt stocks and raising awareness of guidance to enable them to make the best use of their salt supplies. We have also written to local highway authorities highlighting the importance of being prepared for severe winter weather including ensuring that they have robust winter service plans in place and the importance of communicating their plans to local residents and businesses.
In terms of the strategic road network, the Highways Agency has available a fleet of more than 500 winter vehicles for treating motorways and major ‘A’ roads around the clock to help keep the strategic network open under all but the most extreme of circumstances.
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