Road Safety Bill [HL]

I am grateful to my noble friend Lord Berkeley for raising this issue and to other noble Lords who have contributed to this short debate. I have listened with great interest and, of course, the Government are very much aware of the impact that road transport can have on the environment. Like my noble friend, we are concerned to minimise that impact as far as practicable and to deliver clean air as quickly as possible. It is a high priority for us. Emissions can often be prevented by turning off the engine when a vehicle is stationary for more than two minutes. Publications issued by the department already advise drivers to switch off their engines whenever it is safe to do so. The noble Lord should also be aware that under Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations it is already an offence to cause emissions by leaving a vehicle’s engine running while stationary. The offence carries a maximum fine of £1,000. These requirements are predominantly enforced by the police. But we have also introduced regulations in England that enable local authorities to issue fixed penalty notices in relation to any vehicle with an engine running unnecessarily. These offences do not apply when a vehicle is in traffic, where I consider there could be real practical difficulties of enforcement and resources. Our view is that powers already exist under the Road Traffic Act to make regulations that would achieve the objectives behind this amendment. I agree with the noble Earl that this is not for legislation and that the current mix of existing regulatory controls, combined with voluntary action backed by Government and local authority advice in relation to traffic-related conditions is the most effective means for controlling the situation, which my noble friend and others have described. We therefore believe that we are already doing a great deal. Enforcement and fines exist. A proper mix of voluntary and statutory initiatives is the way forward. In view of this explanation, I hope that the noble Lord will withdraw his amendment.