| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
16 Jan 2006 : Column 934W—continued
Road Accidents (Costs)
Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the most recent estimated cost of a road accident resulting in (a) serious and (b) slight injuries is (i) in total and (ii) broken down by (A) lost output, (B) medical assistance and ambulance costs and (C)human costs. [42709]
Dr. Ladyman: The more recent values used to estimate the benefits of the prevention of road accidents are set out in the Highways Economic Note No. 1: 2004 Valuation of the Benefits of Prevention of Road Accidents and Casualties" which can be found on the DfT website.
The Highways Economics Note disaggregates the elements of the value according to whether they relate specifically to casualties or accidents. The casualty-related values are lost output, medical and ambulance costs, and human costs. The costs of police, property damage and the administrative costs of accident insurance are accident-related costs. The total value of prevention of an accident is the aggregate of both sets of values.
16 Jan 2006 : Column 935W
The following table illustrates the average estimated costs of a road accident. Total casualty costs represent the sum of the casualty-related elements, while total value of prevention is the sum of casualty-related costs and accident-related costs.
Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the most recent estimate is of the cost of a road accident, excluding the cost of deaths and casualties, broken down by (a) police costs, (b) insurance costs and (c) costs arising from damage to property. [42710]
Dr. Ladyman: The more recent values used to estimate the benefits of the prevention of road accidents are set out in the Highways Economic Note No. 1: 2004 Valuation of the Benefits of Prevention of Road Accidents and Casualties" which can be found on the DfT website.
The Highways Economics Note disaggregates the elements of the value according to whether they relate specifically to casualties or accidents. The accident-related costs include costs of police and property damage and the administrative costs of accident insurance. These costs are not specific to casualties.
16 Jan 2006 : Column 936W
The following table illustrates the average estimated costs per accident minus the casualty specific costs.
Road Closures (Essex)
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the occasions when the (a) A13 and (b) A127 between the M25 and Southend were closed in each direction for 30 minutes or longer during each of the last five years for which information is available; and what the (i) reason for and (ii) duration was of each such closure. [40982]
Dr. Ladyman: Only the section of A13 eastwards from M25 to its junction with the A1089 (to Tilbury) is a trunk road, for which the Secretary of State is directly responsible in his capacity as highway authority. The following table provided by the Highways Agency shows the total number of closures of 30 minutes or more for each carriageway since 2002. The precise duration of closure was recorded in only seven instances.
The remainder of the A13, and the whole length of the A127, is the responsibility of Essex county council, Thurrock borough council and Southend-on-Sea borough council as local highway authorities for the sections of the routes in their respective areas.
16 Jan 2006 : Column 937W
Road Deaths (Sunderland)
Mr. Kemp: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many road deaths there have been in the Sunderland council area in the last three years. [42442]
Dr. Ladyman: The number of fatalities in personal injury accidents, in the Sunderland local authority for the last three years for which data are available are given in the table.
| Fatalities(8) | |
|---|---|
| 2002 | 10 |
| 2003 | 8 |
| 2004 | 8 |
(8)Deaths within 30 days of the accident. Excludes confirmed suicides, death from natural causes and injuries to pedestrians with no vehicle involvement (eg a fall on the pavement).
Road Detrunking Programme
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on his road detrunking programme. [42410]
Dr. Ladyman: The policy of transferring non-core trunk roads (detrunking) to local highway authorities was first set out in the White Paper A New Deal for Transport" published in July 1998. Detrunking allows the Highways Agency to concentrate on the operation of the strategic trunk road network, whilst enabling local authorities to consider their own priorities for the improvement of non-core routes. The aim has been to transfer some 3,200 km (30 per cent.) of the trunk road network (as it was in April 1999) to local authorities in a phased programme. To date more than 80 per cent. (around 2,628 km) of the programme has been completed since April 2001. Prior to detrunking, the Highways Agency and local authorities agree the transfer of an appropriate level of funding for annual maintenance and in some cases for outstanding capital projects.
During the financial year 2005–06, six routes have been detrunked. They are:
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |