Road Safety

Jake Richards (Rother Valley) (Lab) asked the Secretary of State for Transport, Louise Haigh, what steps the Government is taking to improve road safety, particularly in addressing the issue of "boy racers" and speeding in his constituency. In response, the Secretary of State acknowledged the blight that such antisocial behavior and speeding has on communities, and stated that a key part of the Government's "safer streets mission" is to give the police the powers they need to seize illegal, dangerous and antisocial vehicles and have them crushed. She also mentioned that the Government is working on delivering a new road safety strategy, the first in over a decade, to reduce antisocial behavior, injuries and tragic deaths on the roads. Dr Luke Evans (Hinckley and Bosworth) (Con) then raised the issue of a frequently hit bridge in his constituency on the A5, which also has accident black spots and pinch points. He requested a meeting with the Roads Minister to discuss how these improvements can be progressed. Jacob Collier (Burton and Uttoxeter) (Lab) highlighted the issues with the A50/A500 corridor, which sees between 60,000 and 90,000 vehicles pass through every day, but has slow and unreliable average rush hour speeds below 20 mph. He asked the Minister to visit Uttoxeter to see the upgrades that are needed. Wera Hobhouse (Bath) (LD) then raised the issue of road safety being a key reason why young people do not cycle, particularly in cities like Bath with historic infrastructure. She asked what the Government will do to help make roads safer for young cyclists in Bath. In her final response, the Secretary of State acknowledged the points raised and stated that the previous Government had pursued "poisonous culture wars against road users of all descriptions." She said the new Government is determined to "take back streets for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers," and that this will be at the heart of the new road safety strategy.