§ Mr. Peter BottomleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if he will make a statement on how his Department takes account of the family perspective and life cycle in the targets, activities and statistics of his Department;
(2) in which publication, speech or statement his Department has described how it takes account of the family perspective and life cycle in the targets, activities and statistics of his Department.
§ Mr. MacGregorMy Department seeks to take account of the needs of all transport users, including families and those of different age groups. In particular, a clear priority within the Government's long-term programme of casualty reduction is to improve the safety of vulnerable road users such as children and the elderly. For example, we are continuing to encourage traffic calming measures, to keep speeds low and improve driver behaviour, especially in sensitive locations such as residential areas and near schools and shops.
Initiatives to improve family mobility include trials of low floor buses, due to begin later this year in London and north Tyneside, which will improve access for parents with young children.
The Department has issued various publications and launched a number of campaigns on these themes, 667W including some aimed at specific age groups. The Department's national travel survey records both household travel and the age and sex of household members; it also records the relationship of household members to each other, allowing households of various kinds to be identified.