Commenting on Liberal Democrat Transport Minister Norman Baker’s announcement of £15m to boost cycling, including £8m for transport charity Sustrans to enhance cycle routes and £7m to make it easier for cyclists to use the railways, Co-Chair of the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Party Committee on Transport, Julian Huppert said:

“Promoting cycling and green transport is the right thing to do and I am delighted Liberal Democrats in the Coalition Government are taking action.

“This comes at a crucial time. Just five days ago The Times launched a cycle campaign in response to the shocking increase in fatalities among cyclists on our roads.

“It is absolutely essential people should be able to walk to work or cycle to school in a safe environment. The extra £8m for Sustrans will go a long way to achieving this.

“And the £7m for improved rail-cycle links will ensure that we continue to build a transport network which puts passengers first.”

The current cold snap is less than a week old yet already the challenging road conditions have resulted in a number of incidents which have prompted roads policing officers to remind drivers to slow down, drive in accordance with the conditions and above all ensure your vehicle is fit to be driven before setting off.

The low temperatures have seen the region suffering with the aftermath of the recent snow fall which has now turned to ice, black ice on sections of road and is also freezing fog which can dramatically reduce visibility as it falls across large areas like a blanket.

Conditions like these can make the simplest of journeys a real challenge and have resulted in at least two serious incidents in the last couple of days.

The first incident happened at 1535hrs on Sunday 05 February when a call was received reporting a single vehicle road traffic collision on the M62 westbound between Junction 38 to 37.

Traffic officers attended and whilst dealing with the initial incident further collisions occurred involving three other vehicles. One of these vehicles collided with a stationary (and unoccupied) Police Land Rover. Driving conditions were very poor.

Fire and Rescue attended to cut free three occupants from one of the vehicles.

The injured were taken to Doncaster Infirmary and were later discharged having suffered only minor injuries.

No police officers were hurt although the police vehicle suffered severe damage. The carriageway was reopened at 1945hrs.

The second incident happened on Monday 06 February on the A15 shortly after 0900hrs involving several vehicles which were in collision during challenging driving conditions. This resulted in the road being closed for over an hour while the incident was cleared however thankfully no one was seriously injured.

Roads Policing Chief Insp Roger Mitchell said:

“Our force wide winter driving campaign is in full swing and we are again urging drivers to be careful on the roads across our region as the weather is less than ideal at present.

“We have already seen examples of incidents which have come about due to drivers not driving in accordance with either the weather or road conditions and in one extreme case, a young driver in North East Lincolnshire who couldn’t be bothered to clear the snow from his van before setting off which left him trying to drive while looking through one small piece of windscreen which he actually did clear.

“This type of driver behaviour can be very dangerous and put other road users at risk making it vital that motorists take weather conditions into account when heading out and drive in accordance with the conditions especially when icy or foggy as you cannot always see dangers as you approach them.

“Thankfully, the incidents we have attended so far have only resulted in minor injuries or in the case of our reckless van driver some advice from our officers and a fixed penalty notice but again we are asking drivers to be careful as the cold snap continues in order to try and reduce the chances of further incidents in the coming days.”

The following tips have been issued as part of the Winter Driving Campaign:

Keep your vehicles lights, windows and mirrors clean and free from ice and snow, keep your battery fully charged, add anti-freeze to the radiator and winter additive to the windscreen washer bottles, make sure wipers and lights are in good working order and check that tyres have plenty of tread depth and are maintained at the correct pressure.

Take into account the fact that it can take 10 times longer to stop in icy conditions than on a dry road. Drive slowly, allowing extra room to slow down and stop.

In foggy conditions, drive very slowly using dipped headlights. Use fog lights if visibility is seriously reduced, but remember to switch them off when visibility improves.

Dazzle from winter sun can be dangerous. Keep a pair of sunglasses handy.

Remember in wet weather, stopping distances will be at least double those required for stopping on dry roads.

Commenting on Liberal Democrat Transport Minister Norman Baker’s announcement of £15m to boost cycling, including £8m for transport charity Sustrans to enhance cycle routes and £7m to make it easier for cyclists to use the railways, Co-Chair of the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Party Committee on Transport, Julian Huppert said:

“Promoting cycling and green transport is the right thing to do and I am delighted Liberal Democrats in the Coalition Government are taking action.

“This comes at a crucial time. Just five days ago The Times launched a cycle campaign in response to the shocking increase in fatalities among cyclists on our roads.

“It is absolutely essential people should be able to walk to work or cycle to school in a safe environment. The extra £8m for Sustrans will go a long way to achieving this.

“And the £7m for improved rail-cycle links will ensure that we continue to build a transport network which puts passengers first.”

It was business as usual for the council’s winter service as the borough got its first taste of seasonal snow over the weekend (Saturday, February 4 and Sunday, February 5).

Gritting teams treated the network at 3pm on Saturday afternoon to make sure there was a good layer of salt prior to the onset of the snowfall.

At 7pm the teams started their second run just as the snow started to cross the region. By 9pm the snow had become heavier with significant drifting on the Wolds. Additional crews were brought in to support the operation and following a sustained period of ploughing all routes were open.

By around 5am on Sunday morning, the priority road network was running clear.

Salting treatment continued on Sunday afternoon.

This morning (Monday, February 6) the gritting teams are treating the secondary network, with one team reacting to reports of ice and operatives checking and refilling salt bins.

In total over the weekend the gritting teams used 90 tonnes of salt.

In the event of disruption to services due to severe weather these web pages will be regularly updated with information on everything from school closures, gritting routes and helpline numbers. Alternatively, residents can:

Follow NELC on Twitter (@nelincs)
Call the N E Lincs customer service team on (01472) 313131
Contact their councillor or keep checking the local media for updates
Tune to local radio stations such as:
- BBC Radio Humberside on 95.9FM, 1485AM and DAB
- Local radio Compass FM on 96.4FM
We hope residents will also forward information to residents, family, friends and neighbours.

You can find Winter information on the following at http://ht.ly/8TNKH :

School closures
Road and footpath gritting
Public transport
Weather information
Waste and recycling
Health and residents’ well-being
Public buildings and events

The Humberside BikeSafe team have launched a new voucher scheme that enables family and friends to buy a BikeSafe vouchers for a loved one this Valentines Day.

The cost of a 2012 BikeSafe workshop has been kept at the 2011 price of £35 but the voucher can be for a lower amount which makes it a great present for Valentines Day. The voucher can be bought for any biking family member including mums, dads, granddads, grandmas, sons and daughters and friends can be included too.

The voucher is valid for 18 months as the workshops don’t start until the April but riders are encouraged to book their places as soon as possible as the workshop sessions are popular.

The BikeSafe workshop starts with a classroom session which explores the main issues facing today’s biker by raising awareness of hazard perception and explores the principles of advance riding. Whilst the on the road element with an advanced rider will highlight areas where the biker needs to develop.

The underlying principal of BikeSafe is to encourage skills for life. Riders should continue training throughout their riding years and not just stop after they have passed their bike test.

BikeSafe is about starting off on the path to training as it bridges the gap between the test and training. There are a range of motorcycle training options available, which can be a full advanced course or a one day enhanced riding scheme session. So that next years present sorted at well….

To find out more about BikeSafe in Humberside visit www.bikesafe.co.uk

Welcoming the decision by the Transport Secretary to maintain yearly MOT tests, Co-Chair of the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Party Committee on Transport, Julian Huppert said:

“In 2010 there were 1,850 deaths and more than 200,000 injuries on our roads. That’s some 600 every day. With mechanical failure already contributing to a significant number of these, the Coalition Government has made the right decision to keep frequent MOT-tests.

“This will also see the system strengthened through a combination of open public data and stronger regulation.

“Liberal Democrats strongly believe road safety should be central to the Coalition Government’s transport strategy. I look forward to working with the Secretary of State to further this agenda.”

Liberal Democrat MP Julian Huppert called on the government to take more action to protect the environment as new legislation governing the aviation industry makes its way through Parliament.

Julian, Co-Chair of the Liberal Democrat Transport Committee said that he wanted to see more consideration given to environmental issues in the Civil Aviation Bill which received its Second Reading in the House of Commons yesterday (Monday, January 30).

“The real costs of airplane emissions are often hidden and the government has a duty to make them known as a first step towards making sure that something can be done to reduce them,” he said during the debate.”

Julian added that although the Bill gives new powers to publish information on the environmental impact of aviation there is no duty on the Civil Aviation Authority to act on that information.

“Aviation accounts for a significant and growing proportion of our carbon emissions and it also has a significant noise impact, which we must take into account,” he said. “The body that regulates aviation must have regard to these facts and bear some responsibility.”

He asked Transport Minister, Norman Baker:

“Will he consider more carefully whether it would be a good idea to put environmental duty in the Bill so that as many steps as possible can be taken to protect the environment?”

Mr Baker said that Ministers would have an “open mind” if he could demonstrate that the Bill did not have the power to take action that was needed.

Julian welcomed moves through the Bill to make air travel more passenger focused and extend the scope of ATOL to give travellers more protection.

He told Parliament that, for too long transport policy had been based on the “top-down, central control of large systems” rather than passenger-focused and “viewed from the bottom up”.

“We in the Liberal Democrats particularly welcome the Government’s aspiration to put passengers at the heart of airport operations and the sections of the Bill that help to accomplish that”

He also welcomed moves to extend the scope of ATOL, the organisation which protects consumers’ rights, to give passengers the assurances they deserve.

“It is clearly absurd that only a small proportion of holidays are covered currently and that many consumers are simply unaware whether they are protected or not,” he added.

And he said: “I hope that in committee we can ensure that the Bill properly delivers the government’s aims and creates a sustainable future for civil aviation in the country based on open data, proper regulation, sustainable transport and passenger-led reforms.”

Later Julian said:

“The aviation industry is developing fast and this Bill gives us the opportunity to put in place the necessary legislation to make sure that we can offer passengers the best safeguards while at the same time doing everything we can to protect our environment.

“Air travel is one of the biggest contributors to carbon emissions and if we don’t get this Bill right and make environmental considerations a key part of this legislation we could cause untold damage.”

Motorists are set for improvements in customer service from garages under a package of transparency and value-for-money measures unveiled today by Transport Secretary Justine Greening.

An evaluation of existing MOT test standards and frequency took account of the views and evidence offered by a wide range of organisations.

In particular, it considered data from Department for Transport executive agency VOSA (Vehicle and Operator Services Agency) showing that more than a quarter (27.7%) of vehicles tested in 2010-2011 had one or more car defects that were either missed by MOT test centres or incorrectly assessed.

The VOSA data also showed that the roadworthiness of one-in-eight cars (12.4%) was being incorrectly assessed by MOT test centres.

As a result, the Government will work with industry, motoring organisations and consumer groups to focus on the reliability and standards of garages. The Government has decided to:

•Retain the existing rules on MOT test frequency since the evidence shows that vehicle defects are being missed and roadworthiness mis-assessed.

•Shine a light on the performance of MOT testing stations by releasing hitherto unpublished VOSA survey data on whether the sector is complying with test standards. This is published today.

•Work with motoring organisations to find out what problems motorists experience and enable them to share examples of good customer service – in particular to find ways to make it easier for customers to give feedback on their experiences of garages in a way that others can see – potentially in the manner of existing online hotel and restaurant review websites.

•Encourage the take up of industry codes of practice – and expand them to include MOT testing – so that customers can find garages signed up to schemes delivering the highest standards and take action if they have not received the service they expect.

•Help motorists to spot “clocked” second hand vehicles, by changing MOT certificates so that they carry the last three years’ mileage information as well as the mileage on the day of the test, and encourage car buyers to check full MOT histories using the online MOT database.

•Arrange “mystery shopper” tests to help improve performance in addition to those already carried out by VOSA.

Justine Greening said:

“Our garages are crucial to ensuring that Britain’s roads continue to be among the safest in the world. Most are doing good work but the latest data shows that there is room for improvement.”

“I want each motorist to be confident that a visit to the garage ends with their car repaired to a high standard by reputable mechanics rather than uncertainty about cost and the quality of service.”

“Giving drivers the very best information about garage performance is absolutely key to achieving this goal. It means that responsible garages will be well placed to reap the commercial benefits of transparency. Garages where performance is not up to scratch will find themselves under pressure to do more for their customers.”

If you have ever tried to cross Grimsby’s Cromwell Road to use the subway in Haycroft Street, visit the local shops or to get to the bus stop, you will know how difficult it can be.

The Marshall Avenue and Little Michael Street Neighbourhood Watch have decided that it is time something was done to make crossing the road safer, and they are now campaigning with the support of Liberal Democrat Ward Councillor Peter Bailey, and Liberal Democrat colleague Les Bonner for the provision of a pedestrian refuge in Cromwell Road. Please support this campaign by signing the petition at any of the shops in Cromwell Road.

I support this petition because I live close to the area and have seen how difficult it can be for our elderly and disabled residents to cross this busy road safely.

I hope that this campaign will persuade N E Lincs Council to act before someone is seriously injured trying to cross this busy road.

You can support the campaign to make Cromwell Road safer by signing the petition at any of the local shops.

New powers to help councils cut the disruption caused by road works have been announced today by Liberal Democrat Transport Minister Norman Baker.

Under ‘lane rental’ schemes councils will be able to charge utility companies up to £2,500 a day to dig up the busiest roads during peak times when road works cause the most disruption. This will incentivise utility firms to carry out their works more quickly and at times when roads are quieter. Companies would be able to avoid the charges by carrying out works during off-peak periods or, if appropriate, at night.

Following consultation, the Department for Transport has today published guidance for local authorities wanting to put lane rental schemes in place. In order to gather evidence on the effectiveness of lane rental, the Department has proposed that schemes should initially be used in up to three pioneer authorities – one metropolitan area and two others – and is inviting applications from interested local authorities. The successful pioneer areas will need to have exhausted other options, including using a permit scheme. They will also be required to evaluate their lane rental schemes annually and this evidence will be used to decide how further lane rental schemes should be implemented.

Norman Baker said:

“It is incredibly frustrating to find vital roads being dug up in the middle of the rush hour or, even worse, traffic lanes closed when no one is even carrying out any work.

“This disruption is not only inconvenient but very expensive, with roadworks-related congestion costing the economy an estimated £4 billion a year, which is why we are taking firm action.

“While permit schemes are working well to reduce disruption from roadworks in areas where they have been sanctioned we think it sensible to try out a further option. We believe lane rental schemes provide a further incentive to utility companies and local authorities to carry out their works at times when they will cause the minimum disruption and to complete them as quickly as possible.”

The guidance which accompanies the new powers makes it clear that lane rental charges must be avoidable and proportionate to the costs of congestion. Councils are also being encouraged to apply the same principles to their own works and come forward with lane rental schemes which fit the needs of their local area.

Any revenue raised from the implementation of lane rental charges will have to be used by councils to fund measures which could help to reduce future road works disruption. This could include infrastructure work, research or measures to improve the management of works.