Huw welcomes rail discounts, calls for transfer of A21 from Highways England

In questions to the Transport department, Huw welcomed news that half price rail fares would be extended to 16-17 year olds but encouraged transport ministers to aspire to give young people fully discounted fares in the long-term. He cited schools in his constituency of Bexhill and Battle, where many schools do not have 6th Forms and where students are forced to pay for travel to continue in education.

The Minister said it was a bold aspiration but assured Huw that the department was keen to offer value across the rail network.

Watch here: https://goo.gl/xXPrZ9

Later, Huw asked the Minister to meet with him to discuss how a section of the A21, that runs through Hurst Green, could be transferred from Highways England to East Sussex County Council. This comes after a series of accidents on the the road and a continued effort to lobby Highways England to implement better safety measures on the road, which culminated in a demonstration by parents, school staff and local elected representatives last year. The Minister agreed to meet with him to discuss the matter further.

Watch the exchange here: https://goo.gl/ZeSmEe

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Roads

Bexhill and Battle is connected to the rest of the country by two main trunk roads – the A259 (linked to A27) and the A21. Both these roads are managed by Highways England and are almost entirely single carriageway throughout the constituency and the rest of East Sussex. East Sussex has only 11.9km of dual carriageway throughout the whole county. Major road infrastructure improvements are needed in our area if we are to create a safer road network and increase the flow of investment in jobs, businesses and housing in our community.

Local Rail Services

As a regular commuter myself, I am all too aware of the problems constituents face on our local trains and the importance of a reliable rail service for those who travel to work by train.