Sustainable Transport

I congratulate the hon. Member for Battersea (Martin Linton) on securing this very interesting debate, and I congratulate the other Members present on their important contributions. I was particularly interested in the contribution of the right hon. Member for North-West Hampshire (Sir George Young), who reminded us that in 32 years, not an awful lot has changed with trains and bicycles. I do not intend to repeat what other Members have said, particularly as they know a great deal more about bicycling and rail than I do. However, I shall make a few suggestions. I am aware that the Minister is a cyclist; indeed, shortly after he was appointed to his current post, the first event that he and I attended was the national cycle-rail awards. We all accept that the policy that was written by the Strategic Rail Authority and adopted several years ago is not working. There are more than 30 rail operating companies, but there is no clarity or uniformity. People are not encouraged to use bicycles to travel to railway stations, to put them on the train or to use them when they arrive at their destination. The policy must be rewritten urgently, and I agree with the suggestion from the hon. Member for Battersea that a UK cycle forum should be established. One of its first tasks should be to ensure that there is a uniform policy. The Department for Transport is reviewing many regional and national networks. The review has recently been extended to include the provision of parking and CCTV at rail stations. I have read the document for Greater Manchester, and in the rail utilisation strategy, proper plans have been drawn up to ensure adequate parking and CCTV at our rail stations. I put it to the Minister that one immediate extension that he could make to the strategy would be to ensure that the review included provisions for cyclists. I accept and understand that the number of bikes that can be accommodated on today’s heavily overcrowded trains will be strictly limited. I understand CTC’s wish to increase the number of bikes that can be accommodated on a train, but the number is likely to be limited. However, if we can develop policies so that people can leave and hire bikes at all main railway stations, we will encourage more people to travel by bike and unite bikes with rail travel. The White Paper is an opportunity to include that policy, and the ordering of additional carriages is an opportunity to ensure that it is built in. Earlier this year, my hon. Friend the Member for Orkney and Shetland (Mr. Carmichael) asked the Minister about the Department’s assessment of local transport plans’ inclusion of cycling. As expected, the response was that all local authorities are expected and encouraged to include cycling as part of their plans. That stops at the railway station. There is no point encouraging local authorities to develop cycle routes and get more people on bikes if there is nowhere safe for cycles at major transport interchanges. That point was brought home to me last week at Rochdale station. I bumped into someone who had left their bike for a few minutes and returned to find that it had been nicked during that time. We will simply not encourage people to travel by bike to stations if there is no secure storage. The debate is about rail and cycle integration. That is the correct terminology. I hope that the Minister will take hon. Members’ comments on board and that the right hon. Member for North-West Hampshire will not have to wait another 32 years before we see some progress.