Recommendations
The Government welcomes the Committee's recommendations
included in their report. Our response to each recommendation
is set out below.
20mph Zones
RECOMMENDATION
Local authorities should be encouraged to consider
introducing 20 mph limits, accompanied by traffic calming measures,
in high-risk areas to improve the safety of all road users. A
lower speed limit in residential areas could not only improve
safety, but could also contribute to creating town and city environments
that people of all ages can enjoy as pedestrians, cyclists and
drivers. We note, however, that lower speed limits will not be
appropriate or necessary on all roads, and in all areas and consultations
with local residents to endure local support for lower speed limits
will be critical to their success. It is also for local police
forces to consider how much priority is placed at present on the
enforcement of lower speed limits.
We ask the Government to consider what steps it could
take to make it easier and cheaper for local authorities to introduce
lower speed limits.
GOVERNMENT RESPONSE
Following the Traffic Signs Policy Review, we have
already made it easier for 20 mph zones/limits to be installed.
The area-wide authorisations issued to every local authority in
England in October 2011 relaxed signing requirements for 20 mph
zones/limits so that all local authorities can now use repeaters
or roundel markings instead of physical features. While not specifically
a cycling measure, reducing speeds and improving the street environment
through implementing 20mph limits and zones can make conditions
safer and more attractive for cyclists and pedestrians.
In addition, the Department has recently commissioned
research into the effectiveness of 20 mph limits. The study will
cover many aspects including effects on speed, collisions, casualties
and modal shift. The research will also consider best practice,
road users' perceptions and effects on the quality of the environment.
A literature review is due for publication later this autumn whilst
the final research will complete in 2017.
Education
RECOMMENDATION
Training on cycle safety for both cyclists and
drivers will not eliminate casualties on the road, but could contribute
to a culture of mutual understanding and respect between different
types of road users.
Cycle training should be available to all cyclists:
children of primary and secondary age, adults seeking to gain
confidence, and those looking to refresh their road skills. Local
authorities should work with local cycling organisations and retailers
to fund and promote this training and ensure that it is best suited
to the local environment.
We call on the Government to set out in its response
to this Report how it will use the data on road safety and cycle
usage to monitor the effectiveness of cycle training on both safety
of cyclists on the road and cyclists' perception of their safety.
We welcome the Government's statement that cycle
safety is part of the driving test, with drivers assessed on their
approach to sharing the road with cyclists - In the practical
test if possible, and certainly through the theory test.
As part of its next revision of the Highway Code
the Government should consider amending the code to promote cycle
safety and to ensure that it reflects the rights of cyclists to
share the road with drivers.
The Government should reassess its approach to
road safety awareness and set out, in its response to this report,
the steps it will take to ensure a clear and consistent message
of mutual respect between all road users and compliance with the
law by cyclists and drivers.
GOVERNMENT RESPONSE
The Government recognises the importance of education
and training for all road users to ensure a culture of mutual
understanding and respect. A number of initiatives have been implemented
that will increase the awareness of both drivers and cyclists,
as set out below.
THINK! campaign
The current THINK! cyclist campaign takes an even-handed
approach to target both cyclists and drivers alike. The campaign
uses a series of practical tips to advise and remind both groups
of the rules of the road and the positive actions that they can
take to help reduce cyclist casualties. These messages were used
in a recent advertising campaign (spring 2014) that ran in roadside
locations and bus backs to reach drivers and cyclists at the point
of action. THINK! also works closely with stakeholders and partners
to deliver these key messages to our target audiences.
Driver CPC
The DVSA will be encouraging the further and greater
consideration of road safety issues within future training for
driver CPC. It continues to evaluate the training
and will consider what could be implemented better in the future,
in the context of the European Commission's review of the legislation,
which may progress further later this year.
The national driver and rider training standard,
which describes the skills, knowledge and understanding needed
to be a safe and responsible driving instructor, and the national
standard for driving cars, which sets out what the DVSA believes
is needed to be a safe and responsible driver, are very clear
about the importance of the need for drivers and motorcyclists
to be aware of vulnerable road users like cyclists.
Two of the UK's largest driving schools - the AA
and BSM - teach specific modules of cycle safety to their pupils. The
modules have been created with input from cyclists.
Both the theory and practical elements of the driving
tests assess a candidate's awareness of, and knowledge of, how
to deal appropriately with vulnerable road users. The theory
test contains specific questions to assess a candidate's awareness
of cyclists and whilst the DVSA cannot guarantee that a practical
test candidate will encounter a cyclist during their test, many
of its test routes include roads with cycle lanes.
Highway Code
The Highway Code is intended to promote the safety
of all road users, including cyclists. It is amended at least
once each year to ensure factual alignment with existing Government
legislation. It has historically undergone a major revision approximately
every ten years (with the last major revision occurring in 2007).
We will consult with cycling groups on the content of the code
- including the rights of cyclists to safely share the road with
drivers - at the point of the next major revision.
Bikeability
Bikeability not only provides trainees with riding
skills suited to the road, but also covers the relevant sections
of the Highway Code, bicycle checks, the correct use of safety
equipment, understanding driver blind spots - particularly those
of large vehicles, route planning and sharing the road with other
cyclists.
The Department for Transport provides funding to
Local Highway Authorities and School Games Organiser Host Schools
for the delivery of Bikeability training to children between school
years 5 - 9 (ages 9-14). A contribution of up to £40 per
training place is made to cover the costs of delivering Bikeability
Levels 1& 2 combined, Level 2 and/or Level 3. The Department
for Transport seeks to accommodate as many bids as possible and
to date none have been refused. Local Authorities may also contribute
additional funding to cycle training subject to local priorities.
Bikeability is also for adults. The Bikeability website
contains further information for those wishing to find a suitable
cycle training provider. Some local authorities provide free or
subsidised adult cycle training. In addition, 48 projects funded
through the Local Sustainable Transport Fund contained adult cycle
training, while of the 44 successful schemes recently announced
as part of the LSTF 2015/16, over half (24) of the packages include
measures for adult cycling provision.
It is at the discretion of the Bikeability grant
recipient whether to deliver training in house or via a third
party Bikeability scheme. They are also free to consider further
opportunities to work with local cycling organisations and retailers
to fund and promote further training that it is best suited to
the local environment.
With regards to the call on Government to set out
how data on road safety and cycle usage will be used to monitor
the effectiveness of cycle training on both cyclists' safety and
their perception of safety, it is not possible to establish from
current road safety statistics whether a cyclist has completed
Bikeability training. However, the Department for Transport is
currently undertaking research to explore how Bikeability impacts
on safety considerations, in particular an individual's ability
to perceive and respond appropriately to hazards.
The Department for Transport's Bikeability brand
awareness surveys (conducted between 2011 and 2013) had some encouraging
results with respondents recognising the importance of formal
cycle training schemes. The following benefits were also associated
with Bikeability: improved road awareness, improved safety on
the road, improved participant confidence, giving participants
a realistic experience and teaching participants the skills they
need.
Cycle Infrastructure
RECOMMENDATIONS
Safe cycling should be an integral part of the
design of all new infrastructure projects. Local authorities
should be able to demonstrate that the cycling has been considered
and incorporated into the design of new roads at the earliest
stage, and that local cyclists have been consulted as part of
this process.
Cycle-proofing should not necessitate a blanket
design and protocol for cycle lanes, which would inevitably fail
to reflect local circumstances. Instead there should be an emphasis
on sharing best practice. For example, to improve cycle lanes
the Department for Transport should set out different options
for local authorities to adopt, each designed with cyclists and
meeting or going beyond minimum standards of safety. We ask the
Department to report back on progress on the sharing of good practice
between local authorities.
GOVERNMENT RESPONSE
Decisions on how best to provide for cyclists on
local roads are matters for the local authority - not only do
they have a duty to balance the needs of all road users when considering
how to design and manage their road networks, but they also have
a detailed understanding of their roads.
The Department for Transport's guidance in Local
Transport Note 2/08: Cycle Infrastructure Design is comprehensive
and allows councils to design good, safe schemes within current
legislation. It already includes most of the measures highlighted
as good practice by, for example, the All Party Parliamentary
Cycling Group.
Appropriate training of designers and engineers is
essential to the delivery of high quality cycling infrastructure.
The Department for Transport believes that this is a key area
to be addressed and has had initial discussions with professional
bodies such as the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation,
and the Institution of Highway Engineers.
The Department for Transport will consider endorsing
the revised London Cycle Design Standards, drafted by Transport
for London, and the Active Travel Guidance drafted by the Welsh
Government. Public consultations on both of these documents were
held recently, and the Department has been in discussion with
both organisations as part of those processes.
In addition, the Department recognises its role in
sharing information about good quality cycle infrastructure design
amongst the local government community. The Minister for Cycling,
Robert Goodwill, has directed Officials to work with the Department's
Cycle Proofing Working Group to shape a programme of work that
will capture and share best practice in cycle proofing roads.
The Department for Transport is currently working
on revising the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions
(TSRGD) to include many changes aimed at helping authorities provide
better cycling facilities. These changes have been developed in
conjunction with cycling stakeholders over the last five years.
Measures being considered include:
· Removing
the requirement for a lead-in land for cyclists at advanced stop
lines making it easier for highway authorities to install advanced
stop lines at junctions;
· New traffic
lights to give cyclists a head start at junctions;
· Options for
joint crossings for used by both pedestrians and cyclists;
· Options for
bigger cycle boxes (advanced stop lines) to accommodate the growth
in cycling, and to make it safer for cyclists at junctions;
· Removing the
requirement for Traffic Orders for some cycling facilities, to
help make it easier for local authorities to install them.
A public consultation on the draft TSRGD 2015 was
held between1 May - 12 June 2014. The Department for Transport
received many responses from cycling stakeholders, broadly in
favour of the measures proposed. A consultation response will
be published this autumn, and the aim is to bring the new regulations
into force by March 2015.
However in advance of these revisions, the Department
has already made changes which will help local authorities provide
for cyclists without the need to wait for new regulations. For
example, the Department has given every local authority in England
permission to:
· Use
'no entry except cycles' signing which can facilitate contraflow
cycling.
· Use 'trixi'
mirrors to help lorry drivers see cyclists in their blind spot
at junctions; and
· Implement 20
mph speed restrictions with greater flexibility.
This followed other changes made in revisions to
TSRGD in 2011, including other options for providing contraflow
cycling and new signing for cycle routes.
As well as changes to traffic signing legislation,
in October 2012 Transport for London (TfL) commissioned TRL to
trial measures including low level mini signals, new roundabout
designs and new ways of helping cyclists turn right at traffic
lights. The Department for Transport has been working closely
with TfL on this, and were on both working and steering groups
for the trials. In September 2013 the Department gave Cambridgeshire
County Council permission to trial an 'early start' signal for
cyclists, as an alternative way of allowing cyclists priority
at traffic lights. Since then, other authorities including Transport
for Greater Manchester and Liverpool City Council have applied
for similar authorisations. The Department has also been working
directly with the Cycle City Ambition Grant authorities to help
overcome regulatory issues with implementing their schemes.
We would encourage local authorities to consider
and make use of all these innovative measures when designing cycling
facilities, to ensure their infrastructure benefit cyclists as
much as possible.
HGVs
RECOMMENDATION
We are greatly concerned by the number of cyclists
killed in collisions with HGVs. The disproportionate number of
HGVs involved in collisions with cyclists demonstrates that the
industry must improve its road safety record. We are particularly
concerned by the number of construction vehicles, such as concrete
and tipper lorries, involved in fatal collisions with cyclists
and the failure of some haulage companies to follow best practice
around cycle safety.
We welcome the European Parliament's approval
of changes to the design of HGV cabs to reduce drivers' blind
side. We call on the Government to ratify these changes which
will improve safety for cyclist and other vulnerable road users.
We are not persuaded that a ban on HGVs in town
centres would be workable in practice. Instead we endorse the
Minister's call for a culture of safety for all HGV drivers and
support the education of HGV drivers and cyclists about road safety.
We call on the freight industry to create a culture
of safety among HGVs. We recommend a timetable for the development
of an industry wide code of conduct, and a clear programme of
work to promote the enforcement of HGV safety regulations. The
effectiveness of these measures must be monitored and demonstrated
by a reduction in the proportion of cyclists' collisions involving
HGVs, and by the number of cyclists injured or killed in collisions
with HGVs. If such a reduction is not forthcoming once safety
measures are implemented, we expect the Department to consider
and set out the steps it will take to ensure the safety of cyclists
on our roads.
Government Response
The Government supports measures to reduce the number
of deaths and serious injuries arising from collisions between
Heavy Goods Vehicles and cyclists and other vulnerable road users,
including regulatory changes where appropriate. In particular,
we support the inter-agency industrial HGV Taskforce in London,
and value its work cracking down on non-compliant and unsafe HGVs.
Department for Transport officials have negotiated
improved requirements in international (UN-CE) regulations for
mirrors on the passenger side of vehicles, which will mean that
drivers have a better view of the area adjacent to the cab, which
should improve safety for cyclists.
Stephen Hammond MP has written to Commissioner Kallas
urging him to implement these changes in the EU, and officials
have also engaged with the European Commission. We understand
that the Commission intends to mandate the improved mirror requirements
later this year, and that HGVs registered after 30 June 2015 will
have the improved mirrors.
Officials are continuing to work in the UN-ECE to
develop the technical requirements for camera monitor systems
to replace existing mirrors. These systems should enable the driver
to have a better view of other road users around their vehicle.
The Department is working with SMMT, Transport for
London and other stakeholders on HGV safety, including manufacturers
of aftermarket proximity sensor systems. This will provide relevant
timely information and could help to improve safety on a wider
basis and valuable insights for manufacturers to improve their
products.
The Government supports the proposed amendments to
the General Circulation Directive 96/53 agreed by the Transport
Council in June 2014, which will allow additional maximum vehicle
lengths specifically for features that improve safety, as well
as fuel efficiency, of large vehicles. The next stage in the legislative
process, negotiations to agree a final text with the European
Parliament, are due to take place in autumn 2014 under the Italian
Presidency. We would then expect the necessary detailed changes
to type approval legislation on specific vehicle designs within
these new maximum dimensions to be taken forward as soon as possible.
The freight industry operates within a well-established
regulatory framework that encourages safe and professional operations
and most operators perform to a high standard. However, there
is clearly scope for even better performance in this area and
the Department for Transport is pleased to see that the industry
is taking steps to improve its culture and practice with regard
to the safety of vulnerable road users. This includes the work
of many freight companies and initiatives to spread these approaches
such as the Road Haulage Association's "Good Practice Guide
on Managing Risk Related to Vulnerable Road Users" and the
Freight Transport Association's "Cycling Code". The
Department would like to see more companies across the industry
adopting such practices.
The Department for Transport will continue to monitor
the number and rate of casualties (including cyclists) killed
or injured in incidents involving HGVs and would expect to see
a continuing reduction in casualty numbers. National statistics
record this information and the strategic framework for road safety
identifies some key indicators related to safety.
For information, the number of HGVs involved in fatal
accidents has decreased by 53%, from 570 in 2002 to 270 in 2013,
in line with the 50% reduction for all vehicle types involved
in fatal accidents over the same period, from 5,647 to 2,846.
The number of HGVs involved in fatal or serious accidents has
fallen by 53% from 2,692 in 2002 to 1,277 in 2013, while the number
of all types of vehicle involved in fatal or serious accidents
fell by 37% over the same period, from 57,509 to 36,020.
So, while the number of HGVs involved in fatal accidents
has reduced significantly, the proportion of vehicles involved
in fatal accidents that are HGVs has fallen from 10% in 2002 to
9% in 2013. The proportion of vehicles involved in fatal or serious
accidents that are HGVs has reduced from 5% in 2002 to 4% in 2013.
Given the larger size and weight of HGVs relative to all other
road users, the outcome of any collision is likely to be more
severe and so they are likely to be involved in a greater proportion
of fatal accidents, even when the number of such accidents has
halved.
The Committee has acknowledged that removing HGVs
from the roads by banning them from town centres is not a workable
option and may in fact increase risks by encouraging a larger
number of smaller vehicles instead. However, the Department for
Transport is supporting measures that should help to reduce the
number of HGVs in busy areas at peak times, such as the new guidance
on quiet out of hours deliveries, which was published earlier
this year. Where such quiet deliveries schemes are implemented,
this should help to reduce the number of goods vehicles on the
roads in peak hours and reduce the risk of collisions with cyclists
and other vulnerable road users.
The Department's trial of longer semi-trailers is
also helping to reduce the number of HGVs on the roads. The evaluation
published earlier this year estimated that over the 15 months
to December 2013, the 600 or so longer vehicles in use by then
had saved an estimated 600,000 to 900,000 vehicle kilometres.
The evaluation has also found no increase in safety risk from
the use of these longer vehicles. These benefits can be expected
to increase as there are now over 1,100 longer semi-trailers on
the roads and several hundred more are expected to come into use
over the coming months. Grants to support modal shift from road
to rail and water are also removing in excess of 800,000 lorry
journeys from the roads each year.
Volumetric Mixers
RECOMMENDATION
We note that Batched on Site Association's argument
that there is no evidence that volumetric mixers had contributed
to cycle accidents. We do not, however accept their argument
that such vehicles should not be regulated as goods vehicles.
By the Batched on Site Association's own evidence, the vehicles
spend close to a third of their time on the roads, and should
be regulated in the same manner as goods vehicles.
We welcome the Minister's commitment to closing
the loophole around volumetric mixers and ask that the Department
provides an update on progress, as part of their response to this
Report.
GOVERNMENT RESPONSE
There are certain types of HGVs or types of operation
of HGV that are exempt from the need to be annually tested for
roadworthiness or specified on an operator's licence with the
additional requirements that entails. Previous commitments have
been given to review the current exemptions in support of road
safety, proportionate regulation, fair competition and compliance
with EU legislation.
The Government is planning to consult this autumn
on the existing exemptions from annual testing and operator licencing
for certain classes of HGVs, including in both cases volumetric
mixers.
The consultation is expected to run for 13 weeks.
It may lead to legislative change in 2015.
The role of the Government
RECOMMENDATION
As the Prime Minister has set out his ambitions
for a cycling revolution it must be for the Government to champion
cycling and not outsource it to a powerless, and inevitably short-term,
tsar or champion. It is right for a minister in the Department
for Transport to take on this role, and be accountable to Parliament
for his performance. We welcome the Minister's willingness to
take on this role.
To achieve the Prime Minister's ambition of a
cycling revolution, it is necessary but not sufficient for cycling
to be championed by the Department for Transport. Government must
work across its self-imposed departmental boundaries to fund and
facilitate a culture change supporting cycling. We ask the Minister
to set out in his response to this report that specific steps
he will take to coordinate cycling policy across the departments
for Transport, Communities and Local Government, Health and Environment,
Food and Rural Affairs.
GOVERNMENT RESPONSE
In August 2013, as part of a wider cycling announcement,
the Prime Minister committed the Department for Transport to the
publication of a Cycling Delivery Plan. Officials have been developing
this Plan, which will cover walking as well as cycling, in discussion
with other Government Departments and in consultation with stakeholders.
The Cycling and Walking Delivery Plan is a key deliverable
of the Government's Moving More, Living More programme to ensure
a physical activity legacy from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic
Games. As such the Department for Transport is working closely
with a number of Government Departments not just to develop the
Plan but to ensure the actions within it are implemented. The
Plan sets out Government's commitments to cycling and walking
over the next 10 years, including setting out a number of actions
for the Department, other Government Departments, local government
and other delivery partners. The Plan will soon be published in
draft to allow further discussion and comment prior to the publication
of a final Cycling and Walking Delivery Plan later this year.
Funding
RECOMMENDATION
The cycling budget is currently fragmented between
different initiatives with no consistency or clarity over funding
sources. There is no confirmed figure for the annual spending
per capita, but witnesses estimated it was just £2 per head,
and compared this figure to the higher levels of funding in other
European countries.
We recommend that the Government publishes each
year the total budget for cycling to enable strategic and long-term
planning of cycle infrastructure, training and promotion.
We have set out the improvements required to cycling
infrastructure and training, and view these measures as essential
to keep cyclists safe on the roads. To achieve these safety benefits,
we need to see a steady and planned increase in per-capita spend
on cycling. We call on the Government to set out and ambition
to reach £10 per head by 2020, with a timetable of how this
will be achieved.
Government Response
The Government has more than doubled funding for
cycling to £374m in 2011-15, or £622m with match funding.
Spend on cycling is currently around £5 per person in England,
and over £10 per person per year in London and the eight
cycle ambition cities: Birmingham, Bristol, Cambridge, Leeds,
Manchester, Newcastle, Norwich and Oxford. Funding for cycling
is provided through the Integrated Transport Block, the Local
Sustainable Transport Fund, and specific cycling grants, including
the Cycling Ambition Grants. The Government recently announced
significant new investment with the Chancellor and Deputy Prime
Minister announcing in July the allocation of £3bn for local
transport schemes as part of the Local Growth Fund. This long-term
funding, which runs until 2020/21, included £700m for packages
of schemes that include cycling and walking and a further £600m
specifically for sustainable transport, which will enable the
delivery of step changes in cycling and walking.
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