Bus Priority Schemes (Hansard, 16 November 1992)

§ Ms. Walley
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many bus priority schemes are currently in operation.

§ Mr. Freeman
Information is not available on the number of bus priority schemes adopted by local authorities, many of which have been in operation for some years. As a result of a fresh initiative to promote bus use last year, 26 new schemes were approved for funding in 1992–93.

§ Ms. Walley
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what priority he will give to financing bus priority measures within the government grants allocated to local authorities; and if he will set out the criteria used to appraise applications for bus priority measures for grant aid.

§ Mr. Freeman
My right hon. Friend will be taking decisions shortly on the allocation of grants and credit approvals for local transport capital expenditure in 1993–94. Individual bus priority schemes are judged on their merits having regard to the evaluation carried out by local authorities in accordance with the Department's publication "Keeping Buses Moving", the contribution of the schemes to authorities' transport strategies, and the availability of resources.

§ Ms. Walley
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will give details of the bids received from local authorities for bus priority measures for 1993–94.

§ Mr. Freeman
We have received bids for 119 bus priority measures from 69 local authorities. We are evaluating these bids at present and will announce allocations shortly.

§ Ms. Walley
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will give details of all research into bus priority measures currently carried out or commissioned by his Department.

§ Mr. Freeman
Assessments are currently being carried out by the Transport Research Laboratory on behalf of my Department into the benefits of bus priority measures in Aberdeen, Brighton, Manchester, Sheffield and south-west London.