Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Bus Stop Safety

Thursday 17 March 2022 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 3 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Luke Pollard asked the Minister about steps being taken to improve bus stop safety following tragedies in Plymouth.
  • The Minister acknowledged the importance of safety for women and girls and mentioned 13 recommendations provided by safety champions.
  • Nicholas Fletcher questioned the Minister about a tragic incident in Huddersfield where a driver ploughed into a bus stop, and the Minister offered to provide an update on justice system work related to such cases.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Luke Pollard Labour (Co-op) Plymouth Sutton and Devonport
Transport Women & Equalities
Context

The question arises from concerns about bus stop safety, particularly in the context of tragedies that have occurred in Plymouth. A Conservative-run council plans to cut 211 bus shelters.

Question

What steps he is taking to improve bus stop safety. After the tragedies in Plymouth, people, especially women and girls, must feel safe while waiting for a bus, so does the Minister agree that before Conservative-run Plymouth City Council cuts 211 bus shelters—a third of all Plymouth's bus shelters—it must stop and seriously consider the impact that will have on the safety of people waiting for a bus?

Answer from Trudy Harrison

We take safety, particularly of women and girls, very seriously and I realise the difficulties that have been faced in Plymouth. The hon. Gentleman will know that we recently commissioned our safety champions to work with stakeholders and they have now provided 13 recommendations which will specifically look at how we can protect women and girls on the transport network. I would welcome further consideration on the importance of bus shelters in use and also the illumination of those shelters as an important factor in protecting women and girls.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister did not explicitly address whether the council should reconsider cutting bus shelters due to safety concerns.

How: We Take Safety Seriously, Commissioned Safety Champions

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Q2 Luke Pollard Labour (Co-op) Plymouth Sutton and Devonport
Crime & Law Enforcement Transport
Context

The question concerns the use of simple stickers on train seats to promote British Transport Police text numbers, discourage bad language, and fit criteria for Great British Railways headquarters competition.

Question

Bus safety is important, but so is train safety. Has the Department had any more thoughts about placing a simple sticker on the back of each train seat advertising the British Transport police text number so that passengers can summon help if required and also asking people to refrain from using bad language? I think the Minister will agree that this also fits nicely with the criteria for the Great British Railways headquarters competition in that Doncaster's champion MP not only did his apprenticeship on the railway but also helped to secure a more pleasant trip for all future rail passengers.

Answer from Trudy Harrison

I am most impressed by my hon. Friend's doughty campaigning in wanting to headquarter Great British Railways in Doncaster. Of course I agree that antisocial behaviour on public transport is a blight; however, I suspect that there might be unintended consequences from some on-train requests, such as encouraging more swearing and passenger confrontations, but I agree that we should look at doing more in this area and a solution using positive messaging to promote considerate behaviour could be an option.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister did not provide specifics on implementing stickers for safety or the alignment with headquarters criteria, instead suggesting a need for further consideration.

How: Agreed Antisocial Behaviour Is Blight, Suggested Unintended Consequences

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Q3 Nicholas Fletcher
Crime & Law Enforcement Justice & Courts
Context

The question arises from a case where a driver ploughed into a bus stop in Huddersfield, killing one person and injuring two others. The driver was not found guilty due to legal technicalities.

Question

Does the Minister remember that two years ago a car ploughed into a bus stop in my Huddersfield constituency, killing a young girl and badly injuring two other people? That driver has never been found guilty of anything. He put forward a plea of automatism—that he was not actually in charge—and a clever lawyer got him off. What sort of justice is that?

Answer from Trudy Harrison

I am sorry to be reminded of that case. We are currently looking at how the justice system works for all drivers and I am happy to write to the hon. Gentleman with an update on that piece of work.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister did not provide specific updates or actions taken regarding the justice system's handling of such incidents, only offering a written update.

How: Currently Looking At How Justice System Works

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