HC Deb 12 March 2004 vol 418 cc1755-6W
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many miles of priority bus lanes have been created in Crosby since 1997. [160547]

Mr. McNulty

Crosby is included in the Merseyside Local Transport Plan (LTP) area. The Merseyside Passenger Transport Executive (PTE) is the local transport authority responsible for improving public transport in Merseyside including, for example, implementing bus priority measures. The PTE has recorded that it has delivered or is planning to deliver 37km of bus lanes in Merseyside between 1998–99 and 2005—06—including 5.9km of bus lanes in Sefton. These figures do not take into account other bus priority measures such as Quality Bus Corridors/showcase routes or other schemes, which may incorporate bus priority measures.

It is not possible to provide data from before 1998–99 nor is it possible to identify separately how many km of bus lanes the PTE has delivered or is planning to deliver in Crosby. It is ultimately a matter for local transport authorities to decide how to distribute the annual capital allocation received from the Government for spending on local transport in their areas, in line with local priorities and in order to achieve the objectives set out in their LTPs.