Freddie van Mierlo

Thank you, Ms Vaz, for calling me again. I thank all hon. Members for their contributions. A number of issues were touched on, but I would like to zoom in on speed limits. My constituency has done an excellent job of embracing lower speed limits. Villages had the opportunity, under an innovative scheme run by the county council, to reduce speeds to 20 mph on many rural roads. That has had a really positive impact, with Oxfordshire seeing the largest reduction in collisions in the whole country. Research shows that a 1 mph reduction leads to a 6% reduction in collisions. Not everybody drives to the speed limit. As I tell my residents, if we set the expectation that everyone drives at 19.9 mph then we will see the scheme as a failure, but for the most part residents are law-abiding and respect the speed limit, and that has had tremendous benefits. Several hon. Members spoke on the importance of bottom-up planning and not having a one-size-fits-all approach. Rural areas are unique and different—they are not all the same. Off-road infrastructure along canal paths and former railways, or the introduction of quiet lanes using existing road infrastructure, is all extremely valuable. Some Members spoke about the importance of maintaining roads for all road users, whether vehicular or active travel. The previous Government left a £16 billion backlog in road maintenance. In my county, officers inform me that they receive only £15 million a year for highway maintenance, but that it costs the county upwards of £45 million to keep roads safe and that residents would only see meaningful benefit if there was an increase to £80 million. The Minister spoke about investment in active travel in terms of millions; I would like to see him shift his vernacular from “m” to “b” and see billions of pounds invested over a number of years. Members spoke about the importance of inclusivity. That is particularly important to me, having learned how communities approach cycling in the Netherlands. There, you will see people cycling in a leisurely way and carting all sorts of things. An approach where we have more children, more women, more vulnerable people and even disabled people taking part in cycling would be a fantastic culture shift in the UK. When I was living in the Netherlands, I would even cycle 50 metres to the nearest post box from my house. That is the kind of culture shift I hope we can achieve, in both urban and rural settings. Question put and agreed to. Resolved, That this House has considered cycling infrastructure in rural areas