Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Road Safety: Vulnerable Road Users

Thursday 9 January 2025 · 4 questions

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

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 4 Partly answered 0 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Olly Glover asked the Minister about Bikeability training and invited her to visit a local Oxfordshire school to see the scheme in action.
  • Sarah Coombes inquired about the steps the Government is taking to make roads safer, to which the Minister responded that a new road safety strategy will be introduced, focusing on preventing road fatalities.
  • Mr Andrew Snowden requested a meeting with the Minister to discuss roadside saliva testing technology for drug drivers, aiming to improve road safety measures.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Olly Glover Lib Dem Didcot and Wantage
Transport
Context

Bikeability is the world’s largest road safety programme. Recent data from the Bikeability Trust showed that in areas with higher levels of training for children, the number of people killed or seriously injured on the roads decreased.

Question

Does the Minister agree that Bikeability training is an essential life skill that everyone should have access to, and will she commit to joining me on a visit to a local Oxfordshire school to see the scheme in action?

Answer from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Lilian Greenwood)

A total of 1.6 million people have participated in Active Travel England’s training programmes, including a record half a million children receiving cycle training last year. I am a keen cyclist and, having been knocked off my bike in the last couple of years, I understand how important it is to feel confident about cycling safely. I would be happy to join the hon. Member to see some of that work in action.

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Q2 Sarah Coombes Lab West Bromwich
Transport
Context

In Sarah Coombes' constituency, a campaign by local children highlighted a dangerous stretch of road where cars speed and there is no pedestrian crossing. Tragically, a child lost their grandmother to a car crash on that very stretch of road.

Question

What steps are the Government taking to make our roads safer?

Answer from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Lilian Greenwood)

Every single death on our roads is tragic, which is precisely why we will bring forward further measures with the new road safety strategy—the first in more than a decade—which will consider how to prevent such appalling tragedies, including in her constituency.

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Q3 Andrew Snowden Con Fylde
Crime & Law Enforcement Transport
Context

As police and crime commissioner for Lancashire, Mr Snowden invested significant amounts of money in increasing resources to target drink and drug drivers. He notes that arrest rates have improved but charge rates are lagging behind due to the time it takes for drug tests.

Question

Will the Minister meet me and D.tec International to look at how roadside saliva testing technology could improve the speed with which we can get drug drivers banned and off our roads?

Answer from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Lilian Greenwood)

The hon. Gentleman is absolutely right to raise concerns about the impact of drug driving. Those affected by an impairment drug were involved in 13% of fatalities last year. Just before Christmas, I went out with Jo Shiner, one of the leading police officers responsible for roads policing, and saw the work that is happening and heard about prosecutions, which the hon. Gentleman has raised. I would be very happy to meet him to discuss the matter further.

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Q4 Phil Brickell Lab Bolton West
Transport
Context

St Helens Road in Phil Brickell's constituency has become the site of numerous serious car crashes, and local residents have raised their grave concerns with him about both speeding and dangerous driving.

Question

How is the Minister working with local leaders in particular to drive improvements to road safety?

Answer from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Lilian Greenwood)

My hon. Friend is right to raise the concerns of his constituents. Local authorities have a vital role to play; they are responsible for introducing road safety measures appropriate to their areas. Of course, the Department is responsible for legislation and the guidance to help them to do so. I continue to engage with local authorities to ensure we are providing them with the support they need to make our roads safer.

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