§ 4. Mr. CorbynTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of bus speeds and usage in London; and if he will make a statement. [24719]
§ Sir George YoungLondon Transport estimates that, in 1995–96, the average speed of buses in central London was about 8 mph in peak periods and 9 mph in the daytime off-peak. Almost 1.2 billion passenger journeys were made on London Transport bus services last year.
§ Mr. CorbynIs the Minister not ashamed to announce that bus speeds in London are hardly any more than they have been over the past 50 years? Indeed, they are getting slower. Is it not time to put some money into bus priority measures throughout London, including high-technology schemes that allow traffic lights to be changed in favour of 5 approaching buses? Above all, is it not nonsense for London's 32 boroughs to compete with each other in planning London's transport needs when, rather than the existing chaos, the city needs what it once had—an overall transport authority, accountable to the people of London, that puts money, resources and imagination into public transport?
§ Sir George YoungWe have an elected transport authority for London and he is sitting beside me. As for resources, I agree and, this year, we are putting more financial support into the London bus priority network. Support and supplementary credit approvals total £9 million—a higher level than last year. I would like buses to run faster. London Transport predicts that, on completion of the London bus priority network, bus speeds should increase by 15 per cent.
§ Sir Sydney ChapmanWill my right hon. Friend confirm that, with the introduction of the red route system, bus speeds and timings have improved, and that accidents have been reduced? If all that is the case, will he push ahead with the undoubted success of the red route scheme?
§ Sir George YoungLike my hon. Friend, I am a London Member of Parliament. In my post this morning, I received, from the Association of London Government, a publication on red routes, and I was pleased to read in paragraph 3.4 that survey results showed that illegal parking was drastically reduced, that traffic delays were reduced, with journey times down by an average of 10 per cent., that variability of journeys fell by one third and that casualties—to pick up my hon. Friend's point—fell by 17 per cent. The results also showed that average traffic speed had increased, so the scheme is already yielding benefits, and we are determined to ensure that those benefits are further extended throughout London.
§ Mr. AllenWill the Secretary of State pass on best wishes to his colleague the Minister for Transport in London for the work of the bus working group, which he has set up to consider this problem and others in relation to the bus industry's deregulation? Does the Secretary of State accept that there is a growing consensus, with the Select Committee on Transport and the Chartered Institute of Transport, that the Government should consider bus reregulation to take away the worst effects of bus deregulation? Will he therefore press on his hon. Friend the case for finding parliamentary time to introduce some sensible proposals that will be supported by Labour Members? If he does not do that, will he be assured that we shall find time to do so when we take over on the Government Benches?
§ Sir George YoungThose are idle promises. On the first part of the hon. Gentleman's suggestion, there is no move towards a reregulated system. The Select Committee did not suggest that the bus system be reregulated, but, within the context of a deregulated system, my hon. Friend the Minister is seeing what extra measures can be taken further to drive up the standards that bus passengers enjoy.
6 There is always pressure on the House for legislative time, but, if there are sensible proposals for building on the progress that we have already made in improving life for people who use buses, we shall certainly consider introducing legislation.
§ Mr. Harry GreenwayDoes my right hon. Friend agree that, since deregulation, London buses get into all the corners and parts of London, which they never hitherto did, and give a much better service? What does he think an elected or nominated mayor of London could achieve that has not been achieved?
§ Sir George YoungMy hon. Friend is right. There is no role for an elected authority in London between the London boroughs and the Department of Transport where, as I have already mentioned, we have a Minister for Transport in London who is making good progress in improving the quality of transport in London. My hon. Friend will know that the countdown system is being piloted along the Uxbridge road in Ealing and that we are in the process of evaluating that to find out whether there is a case for extending it throughout London.