Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Cycling and Walking: Infrastructure

Thursday 13 July 2023 · 5 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 4 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Government is investing to reduce conflict between car drivers and cyclists.
  • Government respects local decisions on car usage and speed limits.
  • Government emphasizes the importance of road safety for active travel.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Ruth Cadbury Lab Brentford and Isleworth
Transport
Context

The Department has invested in active travel, but local authorities have had to cut funding due to the two-thirds reduction.

Question

What steps have been taken to improve infrastructure for cycling and walking? His Department's data confirms all that, including the role of low-traffic neighbourhoods. Now the Secretary of State has boasted that he has stopped funding for future LTNs as part of the two-thirds cut in active travel. Why are the Government pandering to Twitter warriors rather than supporting investment in active travel?

Answer from Jesse Norman

This Government are not only investing, but seeking to reduce any possibility of conflict between drivers of cars and cyclists. The hon. Lady should not disagree with policies designed to reduce that conflict.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific funding cuts and lack of support for LTNs were not addressed directly.

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Q2 Ruth Cadbury Lab Brentford and Isleworth
Transport
Context

Concern about blanket 20 mph zones and their impact on local communities.

Question

While encouraging walking or cycling, will the Minister confirm that the Government are not anti-car, that they will allow people freedom to travel when and where they want in their own vehicles, and indeed that blanket 20 mph zones which cause congestion are not good for anyone in local communities?

Answer from Jesse Norman

We are respectful of decisions made locally by local authorities, but he is absolutely right that we are seeking to promote choice. Where people want to use cars, they will be perfectly able to do so.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The issue of 20 mph zones and their impacts on congestion was not directly addressed.

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Q3 Ranil Jayawardena Con
Transport
Context

Progress in road safety has stagnated with a mere 8% reduction under this Government compared to a nearly 50% reduction under the last Labour Government. Ministers promised a new road safety strategic framework but it is yet to be published.

Question

One of the most effective ways to increase active travel uptake is to improve road safety, but progress in this area has stagnated. Will the Minister move beyond soundbites and provide clarity on when the strategy will finally see the light of day?

Answer from Jesse Norman

We take safety extremely seriously and have done a lot of work on this issue. The whole point of having dedicated active travel infrastructure is to segregate and improve safety for those using active travel.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific publication date for the strategic framework was not provided.

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Q4 Gill Furniss Lab Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough
Economy Transport
Context

The Scottish Government will spend £320 million on active travel, compared to the UK's active travel budget which is a mere fraction of that.

Question

In answer to my written question, it was confirmed that active travel was down to just 1% of departmental spending last year. But that is positively lavish compared with 0.4% this year and 0.5% next year. Will the Minister urgently review active travel spend to ensure that the poorest are not disproportionately impacted during this Tory cost of living crisis?

Answer from Jesse Norman

The fact is, through both covid and the Barnett formula, the Scottish Government have been funded at levels that vastly exceed those available in England. If one is a Herefordian, as I am, one looks with astonishment at the increased levels of spending north of the border.

Not addressed: The question about reviewing active travel spend was not addressed; instead, he compared funding levels between Scotland and England.

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Q5 Gavin Newlands SNP
Transport Climate Environment
Context

The Department's data confirms the benefits of increasing walking and cycling, including improving health and wellbeing, air quality, combating climate change, and reducing congestion.

Question

In 2022, the Minister's Department said: “Increasing walking and cycling can make life easier and more convenient for people, whilst helping to tackle some of the most challenging issues we face as a society—improving health and wellbeing, improving air quality, combatting climate change and tackling congestion on our roads.” His Department's data confirms all that, including the role that low-traffic neighbourhoods play in all this. Now the Secretary of State has boasted that he has stopped funding for future LTNs as part of the two-thirds cut in active travel, which the local authorities do not have the money to build back up, due to the cuts they have had. Why are the Government pandering to Twitter warriors and not the data and those in their own party who support investment in active travel?

Answer from Jesse Norman

I find that surprising, if I may say so, because this Government are not only investing, but seeking to reduce any possibility of conflict between drivers of cars and cyclists. I do not think the hon. Lady should disagree with policies designed to reduce that conflict.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific data on walking and cycling benefits was acknowledged, but the cuts and lack of support for LTNs were not addressed directly.

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