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Road Widening
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what schemes for road widening under the 10-year plan have been (a) proposed, (b) accepted and (c) started; what the location and length of road is in each case; what research has been conducted into the effects on (i) traffic, (ii) safety, (iii) congestion, (iv) social and environmental impacts and (v) economic effects in each case; and if he will make a statement. [66310]
Mr. Jamieson: There are currently 15 on-line widening schemes in our targeted programme of improvements (TPI). As with all such schemes a substantial amount of assessment work is undertaken which looks at the current situation and the impact of the proposals. This is published during the statutory procedures and may be debated at a public inquiry, if one is necessary, and then by the Secretary of State when deciding whether to authorise the making of the necessary orders.
The following such schemes are under construction:
- A1 Willowburn to Denwick Improvement (Northumberland—4.2km)
A11 Roudham Heath to Attleborough Dualling (Norfolk—9.9km)
A43 M40 to B4031 Dualling (Oxfordshire—6.5km)
A46 Newark to Lincoln Improvement (Lincolnshire—28km).
- M25 J12–15 Widening (Surrey—10.9km)
M60 J5–8 (Greater Manchester—7.4km).
- A74(M) Carlisle to Guardsmill upgrading to motorway (Cumbria—9km)
A1 Bramham to Wetherby (N. Yorkshire—9km)
A1 Dishforth to Leeming (N. Yorkshire—22km)
A1 Leeming to Barton (N. Yorkshire—16km)
A2 Bean to Cobham Widening Phase 1 (Kent—4.1km)
A2 Bean to Cobham Widening Phase 2 (Kent—6.5km)
A11 Fiveways to Thetford Improvement (Suffolk—14.9km)
A11 Attleborough Bypass Improvement (Norfolk—5.5km)
A46 Newark to Widmerpool Improvement (Nottinghamshire—28km).
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design than was possible during the study with a view to it being added to the TPI in the near future. Again substantial work will be undertaken on all the effects of the scheme during future statutory processes.
Journey Times
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent research has been conducted (a) for and (b) by his Department on predicting journey times for (i) freight, (ii) passengers and (iii) car journeys; and if he will make a statement. [66312]
Mr. Jamieson: The Highways Agency has carried out research to investigate the feasibility of providing road users with predictions of journey times to selected local destinations, such as airports, for display on variable message signs.
The Highways Agency has recently completed a study of journey times experienced around motorways in the west midlands and is presently considering options for wider promulgation of the results of the study.
The Highways Agency is also analysing the suitability of journey time data collected by a number of systems both within the Agency and developed by the private sector, for the purposes of scheme evaluation by the Agency.
The Department is undertaking research at present to provide a better understanding of the causes of journey time variability in congested conditions on motorways.
EU Working Time Directive
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what (a) guidance and (b) legislation (i) has been given or is in place and (ii) is planned by his Department on the EU Working Time Directive; and if he will make a statement. [66321]
Mr. Jamieson: My Department is responsible for implementing the EU directive on the organisation of the working time of persons performing mobile road transport activities (2002/15/EC). This directive was published in the Official Journal of the European Communities on 23 March 2002, and is scheduled to come into force in the UK by 23 March 2005.
No formal guidance on the directive has been produced at this stage. However, we are currently consulting with key representatives from both sides of industry on the transposition of the directive.
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry is responsible for guidance on and the implementation of domestic legislation relating to the original working time directive (93/104/EC) and the horizontal amending directive (2000/34/EC).
Channel Tunnel
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the answer of 11 June 2002, Official Report, column 1133W, on the Channel Tunnel, for what reason Government policy towards payment for security measures at the Channel Tunnel has changed; and for what reason the SRA will be asked to contribute to such costs. [66581]
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Mr. Jamieson: There has been no change in policy. The SRA originally offered assistance, which is for security at the Frethun freight yard, not the tunnel itself, in December last year. The objective is to bring forward to the earliest possible date the resumption of full and reliable international rail freight services.
Cycling
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many cycling trips were made and what the total distance travelled by cyclists was in each of the last four years. [66571]
Mr. Jamieson: Figures for Great Britain from the national Travel Survey are as follows:
| 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trips per person per year | 18 | 15 | 17 | 16 |
| Stages per person per year | 18 | 15 | 17 | 17 |
| Distance per person per year | 41 | 36 | 42 | 37 |
Note:
Figures for 2001 are not yet available. Stages include all travel by bicycle but trips only include those where cycling was the main mode of travel. Averages are taken over all the population living in households, not just cyclists. The volatility of the single year figures is likely to be a result of the relatively small sample sizes and the geographical clustering of the sample. Cycling patterns over individual years are also very dependent on the weather.
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what research he has commissioned into making (a) cycling and (b) walking routes safer; if he will place a copy in the Library; and if he will list those schemes introduced in the last two years in order to make these routes safer. [66579]
Mr. Jamieson: Details of a number of current research projects on cycling and walking are listed in the "Road Safety Research, Compendium of Research Projects 2001–02" and in "Roads and Local Transport Research Programme Compendium of Research Projects 2000–01". The compendia are updated at regular intervals, deposited at the House of Commons Library, and are available on the Department's website. A list of schemes to make walking and cycling routes safer is not recorded centrally.
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what Government funding was provided directly for cycle lanes in each of the last four years; and if he will make a statement; [66575]
- (2) how much money was allocated to local authorities in each of the last four years for the provision of cycle lanes. [66574]
Mr. Jamieson: The Department has not funded any cycle lanes in the last four years. Since December 1999 local transport capital allocations have been provided to English local authorities outside London through the local transport plan system. Apart from major local transport schemes (those with a gross cost exceeding £5 million) funding is allocated in the form of a single block allocation the use of which is at the authorities discretion. Such funds can be used to implement cycle lanes but it is for authorities to decide their local priorities.
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In the first three years of local transport plan system, total single block allocations were as follows:
| £ million | |
|---|---|
| 2002–03 | 1,200 |
| 2003–04 | 1,100 |
| 2004–05 | 514 |
Comparable figures for 1999–2000 are not available.
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the total length of cycle lanes is in the UK; and what percentage of these are (a) on the side of the carriageway, (b) on the pavement and (c) independent of a road or pavement. [66573]
Mr. Jamieson: This information is not held centrally. Local cycling strategies contain plans for up to 4,300 km of new cycle routes in England by 2005, but it is for individual local traffic authorities to monitor and hold the details of cycle lane provision in the area they control.
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