Road Safety (Hansard, 16 January 1989)

§ 11. Mr. Morley
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what new initiatives he intends to take to improve road safety.

§ 17. Mr. Tony Lloyd
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on road safety.

§ Mr. Peter Bottomley
Our target is to cut road casualties by one third by the end of the century. Over the year ahead we will be concentrating our efforts on vulnerable groups such as children, the elderly, pedestrians, cyclists and motor cyclists, as well as on dangerous groups such as drinking drivers and selfish and aggressive road users. Engineering, education, enforcement, exhortation and example will all play their part.

§ Mr. Morley
I welcome the Minister's initiatives, but when he considers such road safety measures will he do so in the context of an integrated package and try to get more people to use public transport, particularly rail and buses? Will he bear that in mind especially as British Rail is 14 considering closing a number of rail routes, in particular one near my own constituency, the Grimsby-Gainsborough line?

§ Mr. Bottomley
The hon. Gentleman will realise that in many parts of the country the growth in the use of public transport, especially on London Underground and British Rail, greatly exceeds the movement of commuters in cars, where numbers are falling. Across the country we are likely to see a growth and an improvement in public transport and road links.

§ Mr. Tony Lloyd
May I refer the Minister to the question asked by the right hon. Member for Worthing (Mr. Higgins) about unlicensed motor cyclists who are employed as couriers, particularly in London?

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. A question on road safety please.

§ Mr. Lloyd
It is on road safety, Mr. Speaker. I usually know what I am asking. Will the Under-Secretary accept that as he is a Minister, it is possible for him to legislate on the matter? What will he do other than exhort employers? Exhortations are no good.

§ Mr. Bottomley
It is possible to propose legislation to Parliament. The use of the road by unlicensed motor cyclists is illegal. I hope that, besides the point on which my right hon. Friend the Member for Worthing (Mr. Higgins) and I agreed, we can direct most parliamentary attention on areas where most lives are to be saved. It is worth remembering that 14 people today will lose their lives on the roads—5,000 a year. We may have the best record in the world, but there are still far too many deaths.