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Congestion Charging
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what work his Department has done to assess the impact on the targets in the 10-year plan if local authorities fail to implement congestion charging schemes as outlined in the plan. [41657]
Mr. Jamieson: Modelling by the Department of the results of implementing the 10-year plan, but omitting the eight road user charging and 12 workplace parking levy schemes that the plan assumed local authorities would introduce outside London, shows that congestion would reduce to 5 per cent. below 2000 levels, compared with a 6 per cent. reduction if the assumptions in the plan are met.
A number of local authorities are actively examining possible schemes. Whether they go ahead will be a matter for them, taking into account local factors. We would, in any case, expect most schemes to come forward towards the end of the 10-year plan period.
The assumptions in the 10-year plan will be reviewed as part of the first review of the plan. We will publish the results later this year.
East Thames River Crossings
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what plans he has for new East Thames river crossings; and on what time scale. [41649]
Mr. Jamieson: None. The proposed East Thames river crossings are a matter for the Mayor and Transport for London.
Road Noise
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what recent estimate he has made of the cost difference between low and high noise road surfaces. [41653]
Mr. Jamieson: A recent estimate by the Highways Agency suggests that there is very little difference in whole life cost between low and high noise road surfaces. This estimate takes account of both the initial cost and the expected life of the surface, which can both vary between individual products and applications.
Inter-Urban Road Travel
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions whether it is his policy to charge for inter-urban road travel. [41662]
Mr. Jamieson: The Government have no plans at present to introduce general charges for road users to travel on the inter-urban road network, although we are looking seriously at plans to ensure that foreign hauliers pay their fair share of costs on our roads.
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Airport (South-East)
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will list the sites under consideration for a new airport in south east England. [41744]
Mr. Jamieson: There will be a full public consultation on possible sites before Ministers come to conclusions. Consultation is scheduled for Spring 2002.
10-year Plan
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will make a statement on the sustainable distribution strategy set out in section 12 on page 45 on the 10-year plan background analysis. [41660]
Mr. Jamieson: The assumptions about developments in the distribution industries listed on page 45 of "Transport 2010: The Background Analysis" were informed by polling experts in the haulage/logistics industries, academics and vehicle manufacturers.
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will make a statement on the policy changes that will be required to deliver land use planning directed at increasing the attractiveness of public transport, walking and cycling as described in section 12 on page 44 of the 10-year plan background analysis. [41659]
Mr. Spellar: In developing the 10-year plan, the Department assumed that land use planning would contribute to lower traffic growth (and thus greater use of other modes) by promoting accessibility to development by public transport, walking and cycling. The Government issued Planning Policy Guidance note 13 (PPG13) on Transport in March 2001, setting out national land use planning policy on transport, to support the integrated transport strategy and 10-year plan. Other PPGs support the same objective of promoting sustainable transport choices.
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions whether the amount transferred from the unallocated budget in the 10-year plan to the rail budget has been moved from the years in which it was originally allocated. [41666]
Mr. Jamieson: The revised amounts and profile of the unallocated budget and the rail budget are shown in the revised version of Table A3 from the 10-year plan, copies of which were placed in the House Library on 25 February.
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will provide a schedule of budget allocations to the 10-year plan at constant 2001 prices. [41665]
Mr. Jamieson: The information requested for transport spending plans expressed in 2001–02 prices is shown in the table.
Notes:
1. The table is based on Table A1 (p98) in 'Transport 2010: The 10 Year Plan' which is expressed in outturn or cash prices.
2. Both tables exclude £2.7 billion of transport-related Revenue Support Grant funding for local authorities, but include £37/139/209 million (cash) of other public funding for transport compared with the Transport spending totals shown in Treasury's Spending Review 2000 White Paper.
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Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what estimate the 10-year plan model made of the impact of changes in average non-regulated rail fares on demand for (a) rail and (b) road traffic. [41656]
Mr. Jamieson: The 10-year plan rail demand modelling work assumed that non-regulated fares would increase in line with inflation. As there is no real change in non-regulated fares they had no impact upon changes in either rail or road traffic demand in the model.
Mr. Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what the starting date was for the 10 years of the Transport Plan. [41302]
Mr. Spellar: The start date for spending under the 10-year plan was the beginning of the current financial year on 1 April 2001.
Road Journeys
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what estimate he has made of the number of road journeys that will be saved as a result of the rail measures in the 10-year plan. [41652]
Mr. Jamieson: We estimate that just under two-thirds of the increased passenger rail demand will be from car users switching to rail. However, this shift does not translate directly into a saving in road journeys, as the reduced level of road traffic will be partly offset by other travellers attracted to the less congested roads.
Channel Tunnel
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he has assessed (a) future capacity levels in the channel tunnel and (b) the need for a new tunnel in the future. [41745]
Mr. Jamieson: At the end of 1999 Eurotunnel sent to the Governments of France and the UK, through the Channel Tunnel Intergovernmental Commission, a package relating to two tunnel projects, one road and one rail. Eurotunnel submitted this package in order to discharge an undertaking entered into when the Concession Agreement was signed in
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1986. At that time Eurotunnel stated that according to its traffic forecasts, the capacity of the existing tunnel would be sufficient to meet demand for the next 20 years.
Ministerial Travel
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions when (a) he and (b) his ministerial colleagues last travelled by bus on departmental business. [41680]
Dr. Whitehead: Cabinet Office Guidance on ministerial travel states that Ministers should use the most efficient and cost-effective travel arrangements. Ministers have travelled on buses during a number of visits and are keen to encourage their use.
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