The Government's Motorcycling Strategy was published in February 2005, with the aim of facilitating motorcycling as a choice of travel within a safe and sustainable transport framework. It had a strong focus on safety including provision on the highway, including road design and maintenance; encouraging safer bike design; promoting correct helmet fitting; and improving rider training. This inquiry looks at the progress in implementing the strategy. In addition it also considers changes to motorcycle licensing arrangements and action that might be taken to reduce the risk posed by mini-motos and go-peds.

The global fleet of powered two-wheelers (PTWs) is constantly increasing. In many countries, motorcycles, scooters and mopeds play a significant role in mobility, particularly in many of the world’s large cities. As such, PTWs are becoming an important component of the transport system.

In April 2009 a new testing regime, based on the Second EU Driving Licence Directive, was introduced. Deadlines for implementation had not been met and when the new test was finally introduced, it was met with intense criticism and safety concerns. The number of tests taken dropped dramatically in the first few months and the industry suggested that the new test regime would threaten many small businesses and jobs. The Committee was concerned to not only establish whether the test had gone wrong and how problems could be rectified but also to ensure lessons are leaned before the implementation of the Third EU Driving Licence Directive. They concluded that they could not see why the Government failed to obtain derogation from certain speed requirements and that though many elements of the new regime were appropriate it was important to take into account the concerns expressed and consider what adjustments might be required. They also believe that training and instruction for the motorcycle test needs to develop and change to reflect the new test requirements. The off-road module of the test also needs to be amended to allow candidates to adapt their riding to reflect prevailing weather, road and other circumstances. The development of better awareness of motorcyclists among other road users is also crucial and should not be neglected. Though the Government exceeded what was necessary to comply with the EU directive the Committee believes they were right to do so. It is the development of Multi Purpose Test Sites for which justification was weak and implementation inept which represents the least effective element.

Although road accident deaths have halved between 1958 and 2007 whilst the number of licensed motor vehicles and vehicle mileage covered increased by 400 per cent, the current rate of 3,000 deaths and 250,000 injuries is still an unacceptably high level. Road accidents are the largest single cause of death for people between the ages of 5 and 35 in Britain, and road accidents cost our economy some £18 billion each year. The number of deaths and injuries on roads far outweighs the deaths and injuries in other transport modes, and should be viewed as a major public health problem. The Government should establish a British Road Safety Survey to track overall casualty and safety trends, and review current methods for recording road-traffic injuries. The Committee recommends a systems approach to road safety: ensuring the vehicle, the road infrastructure, regulations and driver training are designed to similar safety and performance standards. Other recommendations include: more 20 mph speed limits; a more proactive approach to determining the safety benefits of new vehicle technologies; action on young drivers - who represent a disproportionate risk to road users - and vulnerable users: motorcyclists, elderly and child pedestrians and cyclists, horse riders; a higher priority given to enforcement of drink-drive and drug-drive offences. The Committee recommends the establishment of an independent Road Safety Commission with powers to work across the whole of government, ensuring that a high priority and adequate resources are given to road safety and that all government departments and agencies give active support. The Government should also establish a road accident investigation branch, like those in aviation, rail and marine.

In a report out today (HCP 352 session 08/09 ISBN 9780215529206), the House of Commons Transport Select Committee tells education and transport ministers they must do far more to produce a modal shift away from cars towards public transport, dedicated school transport including ’Yellow Buses', walking and safer cycling schemes for British school children. The Transport Committee Chairman Louise Ellman MP says: "Young people deserve safe and affordable travel to education, leisure and employment. The journeys people make when young will influence their preferences and habits in adulthood." Also "Both the Department for Children, Schools and Families and the Department for Transport urgently need to identify how they are going to ensure children and young adults are not denied opportunities because public transport is either inadequate or too costly. In particular, travel should not present a barrier to accessing the new Diploma courses. For similar reasons much more should be done to identify children eligible for free school transport." The Committee recognise in their report that no single model will suit all situations and that car travel to school can be the most suitable method in some circumstances. However, they call on ministers to: provide high quality guidance and examples of best practice to illustrate when a dedicated school bus system is appropriate; top up the Education Maintenance Allowance for students from low income families and extend similar support for young people engaged in the new 14-19 diplomas; do more to encourage local authorities to identify pupils eligible for free school transport; consider the viability of a concessionary scheme offering reduced fares to young people; ensure that the Department for Transport, Department of Health and the Department for Children, Schools and Families work together so that national policy and practical implementation at the local level deliver both value for money and a greater number of joint initiatives that promote walking and cycling; help local authorities address the inherent tension between school choice and travel impact by raising awareness of sustainable school travel issues amongst parents and young people when they are selecting schools; in rural areas, review whether the maximum travel distance under which free transport may be provided allows for sufficient choice of schools; monitor the effectiveness of School Travel Plans. The Committee also calls on local authorities to consider new ways to fund and run innovative schemes that integrate transport, health and educational objectives for school travel.

A critical overview of the nature, evolution and contemporary challenges of transport policy and planning at the national and local scale while expanding on procedural mechanisms and forging much-needed links with the related discipline of spatial planning.

Developed as an alternative to the American and Russian military systems, the Galileo programme is an independent European navigation satellite system designed specifically for civilian applications, primarily funded and controlled by the European Union and the European Space Agency. Galileo has potential uses across many sectors, though transport applications such as road and rail traffic monitoring, road pricing systems and air traffic control have been considered key areas of benefit. An earlier Committee report on the topic (HCP 1210, session 2003-04, ISBN 9780215020550), published in November 2004, recognised the potential benefits of the programme for the UK and Europe, but raised concerns over its cost and funding sustainability unless rigorous cost-benefit analyses were undertaken. The programme is currently in its development phase, with the second of two experiemental satellites due to be launched at the end of 2007. It is not expected to be fully operational until 2013-14 (originally this phase was meant to have commenced in 2008), and until Galileo becomes operational, Europe is largely reliant on the American and Russian systems. The Committee's report examines i) the costs, funding and value for money of the programme, including the delays encountered, the UK share of costs, the collapse of the public-private partnership (PPP) negotiations and the governance and procurement strategy; and ii) the impact of the complexity of the EU decision-making process on the programme's future funding and management.