1-10 of 46 results for subject:Roads
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Answering member
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Lord Rooker
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Rooker, Lord (46)
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My Lords, standards for the clearance of litter and refuse from roads are set out in the code of practice on litter and refuse. Local authorities and, where relevant, the Highways Agency are responsible for meeting those standards. The key is effective management, but we must acknowledge that particular care over health and safety is important when moving traffic is involved. The Highways Agency is improving its partnership arrangements with its contractors to help tackle litter hotspots.
My Lords, standards for the clearance of litter and refuse from roads are set out in the code of practice on litter and refuse. Local authorities and, where relevant, the Highways Agency are responsible for meeting those standards. The key is effective management, but we must acknowledge that particular care over health and safety is important when moving traffic is involved. The Highways Agency is improving its partnership arrangements with its contractors to help tackle litter hotspots.
Answered by
Lord Rooker
(Labour)
Asked by
Lord Marlesford
(Conservative)
Type
Oral answers to questions
What plans they have to improve litter collection from roads.
Subjects
Litter; Roads; Waste disposal
Date
20 May 2008
Reference
701 c1349-50
Chamber / Committee
House of Lords chamber
House
House of Lords
My Lords, last week, on 15 May, I did some service delivery for single farm payments by receiving applications direct from customers, but I am not doing service delivery on collecting litter. There are some serious issues and the noble Lord is right that we are dirty in some ways, but I cannot comment on his suggestions for that. In the latest year for which figures are available, some 43,000 fixed penalties were issued, which is 10,000 up on the year before, and 77 per cent of that was collected in repayments. It would be complicated to look for other ways of dealing with people throwing litter on the roads, and I am told that it would not be cost effective.
My Lords, last week, on 15 May, I did some service delivery for single farm payments by receiving applications direct from customers, but I am not doing service delivery on collecting litter. There are some serious issues and the noble Lord is right that we are dirty in some ways, but I cannot comment on his suggestions for that. In the latest year for which figures are available, some 43,000 fixed penalties were issued, which is 10,000 up on the year before, and 77 per cent of that was collected in repayments. It would be complicated to look for other ways of dealing with people throwing litter on the roads, and I am told that it would not be cost effective.
Answered by
Lord Rooker
(Labour)
Asked by
Lord Marlesford
(Conservative)
Type
Oral answers to questions
My Lords, I am rather glad that the noble Lord, Lord Rooker, has answered that Question because he, unlike many of his colleagues both in this House and in another place, is a Minister with a reputation for getting results. Given that action is very much needed on this issue, and given that there is only one test as to whether roads are clean, I hope that he will take some action. First, we are about the dirtiest country in Europe—we would be even if we were not in Europe.
Secondly, my Lords, is it not about time that we made the punishment fit the crime? Let there be 20 hours of litter-picking for a first offence and 40 hours for the second offence. As for local authorities, just as they fine people who mess around with their bags, let them pay a fine organised by the Highways Agency when they fail to keep the roads clean.
Subjects
Litter; Roads; Waste disposal
Date
20 May 2008
Reference
701 c1350
Chamber / Committee
House of Lords chamber
House
House of Lords
My Lords, frankly, Birmingham is one of the cleanest cities in the country. Let me make that absolutely clear. Let us look at a more salubrious part of the country’s roads—for example, junctions 1 and 2 of the M3, which are in an area that is not Labour-controlled, I might add. In April this year on one westbound carriageway—one junction, one month, one collection in one direction on the motorway— 189 bags of rubbish amounting to one tonne were collected. I am told that that is typical of our motorways and of what people turf out of their cars as they travel. Very little of it is due to the wind and it is a disgrace.
My Lords, frankly, Birmingham is one of the cleanest cities in the country. Let me make that absolutely clear. Let us look at a more salubrious part of the country’s roads—for example, junctions 1 and 2 of the M3, which are in an area that is not Labour-controlled, I might add. In April this year on one westbound carriageway—one junction, one month, one collection in one direction on the motorway— 189 bags of rubbish amounting to one tonne were collected. I am told that that is typical of our motorways and of what people turf out of their cars as they travel. Very little of it is due to the wind and it is a disgrace.
Answered by
Lord Rooker
(Labour)
Asked by
Countess of Mar
(Crossbench)
Type
Oral answers to questions
My Lords, does the noble Lord agree that Mother Nature is very kind to the approaches of his home city of Birmingham in the spring and summer, for she cloaks the filth and litter along their roadsides—I use the A456—railway embankments and canal sides? Visitors from foreign countries to that city must be appalled at the amount of litter lying around. What can he do about it?
Subjects
Litter; Roads; Waste disposal
Date
20 May 2008
Reference
701 c1350
Chamber / Committee
House of Lords chamber
House
House of Lords
My Lords, that is quite a practical suggestion. On the targets, not all local authorities go in for issuing fixed-penalty notices, for example. We are up to 233 authorities at the moment: a year ago, only 197 saw the benefit of issuing those. A degree of competition, with local authorities claiming that they are cleaner—with Birmingham being the cleanest, of course—cannot be a bad idea. I do not pay council tax to Birmingham and have no interest to declare.
My Lords, that is quite a practical suggestion. On the targets, not all local authorities go in for issuing fixed-penalty notices, for example. We are up to 233 authorities at the moment: a year ago, only 197 saw the benefit of issuing those. A degree of competition, with local authorities claiming that they are cleaner—with Birmingham being the cleanest, of course—cannot be a bad idea. I do not pay council tax to Birmingham and have no interest to declare.
Answered by
Lord Rooker
(Labour)
Asked by
Lord Taylor of Holbeach
(Conservative)
Type
Oral answers to questions
My Lords, at this time of the Chelsea Flower Show, I am sure that the Minister will acknowledge the huge benefits that the Britain in Bloom campaign has caused, as local authorities compete to beautify their neighbourhoods. Does he not believe that they might similarly compete in a litter-free Britain campaign, which would stimulate them into making sure that theirs is a litter-free zone?
Subjects
Litter; Roads; Waste disposal
Date
20 May 2008
Reference
701 c1351
Chamber / Committee
House of Lords chamber
House
House of Lords
My Lords, seven of the top 10 litter items most frequently dropped on roads are food-on-the go materials. Nobody is dropping hedgehogs or dead pigs out of the window, as far as I can tell.
My Lords, seven of the top 10 litter items most frequently dropped on roads are food-on-the go materials. Nobody is dropping hedgehogs or dead pigs out of the window, as far as I can tell.
Answered by
Lord Rooker
(Labour)
Asked by
Lord Greaves
(Liberal Democrat)
Type
Oral answers to questions
My Lords, this is an important subject. In the town where I live, the Colne in Bloom volunteers certainly do much litter-picking. I should declare an interest as a member of a principal litter authority—namely, Pendle Borough Council—which, in the league table produced in April, came fifth among authorities in the north-west. We are doing all right, but not well enough.
Will the Minister agree that there is still some difficulty in two-tier areas over the demarcation between the county highways authorities and the main litter authority, which is the district? For example, when it comes to removing dead animals, the litter authority is responsible for small ones such as cats, dogs and hedgehogs while big animals like pigs, cows or elephants are the county’s responsibility.
Subjects
Litter; Roads; Waste disposal
Date
20 May 2008
Reference
701 c1351
Chamber / Committee
House of Lords chamber
House
House of Lords
What plans they have to improve litter collection from roads.
What plans they have to improve litter collection from roads.
Asked by
Lord Marlesford
(Conservative)
Answered by
Lord Rooker
(Labour)
Oral questions - Lead
Status
Answered
For answer on
20 May 2008
Answered on
20 May 2008
My Lords, standards for the clearance of litter and refuse from roads are set out in the code of practice on litter and refuse. Local authorities and, where relevant, the Highways Agency are responsible for meeting those standards. The key is effective management, but we must acknowledge that particular care over health and safety is important when moving traffic is involved. The Highways Agency is improving its partnership arrangements with its contractors to help tackle litter hotspots.
Subjects
Litter; Roads; Waste disposal
Date
20 May 2008
Reference
701 c1349-50
Chamber / Committee
House of Lords chamber
House
House of Lords
My Lords, that is an excellent suggestion. It is a fair point because the total expenditure for local authorities in England for street cleaning which is not chargeable to the highways is approximately £500 million, which is a lot of money that could be avoided. The cost to council tax payers of fly-tipping, lack of recycling and collecting such litter is a fortune, but getting that connection to them of what it costs society as a whole and them individually is not easy.
My Lords, that is an excellent suggestion. It is a fair point because the total expenditure for local authorities in England for street cleaning which is not chargeable to the highways is approximately £500 million, which is a lot of money that could be avoided. The cost to council tax payers of fly-tipping, lack of recycling and collecting such litter is a fortune, but getting that connection to them of what it costs society as a whole and them individually is not easy.
Answered by
Lord Rooker
(Labour)
Asked by
Lord Lea of Crondall
(Labour)
Type
Oral answers to questions
My Lords, given that many, if not most, people in this country seem to have no idea why they have to pay council tax, income tax, value added tax or any other tax, would it not be useful to put up on some of those roads, ““You have to pay taxes to pick up this litter””, or words to that effect?
Subjects
Litter; Roads; Waste disposal
Date
20 May 2008
Reference
701 c1351
Chamber / Committee
House of Lords chamber
House
House of Lords
asked Her Majesty's Government:How many deaths have been recorded on the roads which involved a bicycle or bicycles in Northern Ireland in each year since 1998.
asked Her Majesty's Government:How many deaths have been recorded on the roads which involved a bicycle or bicycles in Northern Ireland in each year since 1998.
Asked by
Lord Laird
(Crossbench)
Answered by
Lord Rooker
(Labour)
Type
Written questions
Status
Answered
Answered on
21 January 2008
The following table shows the number of fatalities in Northern Ireland resulting from collisions involving a pedal cycle from 1998 to 2006. Official statistics for 2007 have not yet been finalised.
| Pedal cyclists | other road users | |
| 1998 | 7 | 0 |
| 1999 | 1 | 0 |
| 2000 | 4 | 0 |
| 2001 | 2 | 0 |
| 2002 | 3 | 0 |
| 2003 | 2 | 0 |
| 2004 | 2 | 0 |
| 2005 | 4 | 0 |
| 2006 | 1 | 0 |
| Source: PSNI—Central Statistics Unit |
Subjects
Death; Accidents; Bicycles; Cycling; Northern Ireland; Roads
Date
21 January 2008
Reference
1260; 698 c5WA
House
House of Lords
asked Her Majesty's Government:What assessment has been made of the impact of the Waste and Resources Action Programme's promotional campaign encouraging local authorities to use recycled aggregate.
asked Her Majesty's Government:What assessment has been made of the impact of the Waste and Resources Action Programme's promotional campaign encouraging local authorities to use recycled aggregate.
Asked by
Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer
(Liberal Democrat)
Answered by
Lord Rooker
(Labour)
Type
Written questions
Status
Answered
Answered on
1 October 2007
The Government-funded Waste and Resources Action Programme's (WRAP) Achievements Report 2005/6 details the progress so far in encouraging the use of recycled aggregate by local authorities. WRAP's recycled roads campaign, combined with tailored procurement guidance (including standard contract clauses) has helped to more than double the number of councils directly specifying recycled aggregates in their highway contracts. A survey carried out by WRAP found that 21 per cent of local authorities specified recycled and secondary aggregates in their street maintenance contracts, compared with only 10 per cent in the pre-campaign survey. This exceeded WRAP's 20 per cent target for 2006.
In the same period, WRAP also secured an additional 3.14 million tonnes a year of reprocessing capacity for aggregates, against their target of 3 million tonnes.
Through its advocacy campaigns, WRAP continues to offer bespoke advice and guidance to local authorities to encourage and enable them to use more recycled content in their highways projects.
Notes
Answer received between Monday 3 September and Friday 7 September.
Subjects
Aggregates; Local government; Recycling; Roads; Repairs and maintenance; WRAP
Date
1 October 2007
Reference
5020; 694 c208-9WA
House
House of Lords
asked Her Majesty's Government:What plans they have to provide traffic-calming measures in the Ballyhackamore area of Belfast; and what is the timescale for such measures.
asked Her Majesty's Government:What plans they have to provide traffic-calming measures in the Ballyhackamore area of Belfast; and what is the timescale for such measures.
Asked by
Lord Laird
(Crossbench)
Answered by
Lord Rooker
(Labour)
Answering body
Roads Service
Type
Written questions
Status
Answered
Answered on
25 April 2007
The chief executive of Roads Service (Dr Malcolm McKibbin) has been asked to write to the noble Lord in response to these questions.
Letter from Dr Malcolm McKibbin to Lord Laird dated April/May 2007.
You recently asked Her Majesty's Government a Parliamentary Question regarding, what plans they have to provide traffic-calming measures in the Ballyhackamore area of Belfast; and what is the timescale for such measures. As this issue falls within my responsibility as chief executive of Roads Service, I have been asked to reply.
In my letter dated 6 November 2006, in response to your previous Parliamentary Question relating to this issue (HL 8130), I listed the streets in the Ballyhackamore area that our local officials had assessed for traffic-calming measures.
I am pleased to advise that the consultative and legislative processes have now been successfully completed for Holland Drive, Kirkliston Park, Hewitt Parade, Enid Drive and Enid Parade. Traffic-calming measures on these streets are programmed for completion before the end of May 2007.
There are, however, a number of outstanding objections relating to the provision of traffic-calming measures on Earlswood Road, Belmont Church Road and Sydenham Avenue, and at present no decision has been taken whether to proceed with traffic-calming measures on these streets.
In Clonlee Drive and Irwin Avenue, scores from assessments were sufficient to merit the inclusion of schemes in the 2007-08 traffic-calming programme. However, as with all works of this nature, implementation of any proposal is subject to the successful completion of the consultative and legislative processes. I am therefore unable to confirm at this time whether these schemes will be implemented.
Preliminary assessment scores of Dundela Avenue, Dundela Gardens, Belmont Avenue and Halstein Drive indicate that schemes at these locations would not be as high a priority when compared to other competing sites in our eastern division. While we do not have any plans at present to provide traffic-calming measures at these locations, they will however remain on our list for possible inclusion in future years.
Subjects
Belfast; Safety measures; Roads; Road traffic control
Date
25 April 2007
Reference
3232; 691 c144-5WA
House
House of Lords