§ Mr. LlwydTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what consideration his Department has given to measures to decrease the current level of use of private motor vehicles in cities and conurbations; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. NorrisLocal authorities are already able to introduce a wide range of measures to reduce urban congestion which they can tailor to the particular circumstances of their areas: for example, traffic management schemes, bus priority lanes, park-and-ride schemes and parking controls, all of which are the subject of departmental advice notes.
Two years ago, we introduced the "package approach" under which local authorities, individually or collectively, can obtain funding for strategic transport plans which encompass all forms of transport. Local authorities are now invited to bid for Government funds on the basis of multi-modal transport packages which take a strategic overview of transport needs and look beyond road-based options.
Planning policy guidance note No. 13, published jointly by the Departments of the Environment and of Transport, offers advice on the role which transport and land use planning policies can jointly play in reducing the need to travel.