House of Commons portcullis
House of Commons
Session 2007 - 08
Internet Publications
Other Bills before Parliament

Road Traffic (Congestion Reduction) Bill


 

Road Traffic (Congestion Reduction) Bill

 

 
 

Contents

1   

Duties of local traffic authorities relating to congestion

2   

Duty of police authorities to minimise congestion

3   

Short title

 

Bill 42                                                                                                 

54/3

 
 

Road Traffic (Congestion Reduction) Bill

1

 

A

Bill

To

place a duty on highway authorities and police forces to minimise congestion

and delays caused by collisions and other incidents on the highway; and for

connected purposes. 

Be it enacted by the Queen’s most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and

consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present

Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:—

1       

Duties of local traffic authorities relating to congestion

(1)   

The Traffic Management Act 2004 (c. 18) is amended as follows.

(2)   

In section 16(1) (the network management duty), for paragraph (a) substitute—

“(a)   

minimising congestion on the authority’s road network;”.

(3)   

In section 17(4) (arrangements for network management), at the end of

5

paragraph (b) insert “, including action to remove expeditiously obstructions

caused by collisions; and

(c)   

establishes contingency plans to ensure that traffic is directed to

alternative routes when roads are temporarily closed or

obstructed;”.

10

(4)   

In section 19 (power to require information relating to network management),

after subsection (4) insert—

“(4A)   

A direction under this section may require a local traffic authority to

publish, on an annual basis, information regarding closures or partial

closures of roads in excess of a specified duration, including details

15

of—

(a)   

the duration and cause, and

(b)   

the action taken to minimise the duration of

   

such closures.”

2       

Duty of police authorities to minimise congestion

20

(1)   

Section 8 of the Police Act 1996 (c. 16) is amended as follows.

 

Bill 42                                                                                                 

54/3

 
 

Road Traffic (Congestion Reduction) Bill

2

 

(2)   

After subsection (2) insert—

“(2A)   

A police authority must include in its local policing plan a requirement

that, in attending collisions and other incidents on roads, the police

should, so far as is reasonably practicable, minimise any congestion

and delay for road users and, in particular, only close a road as a last

5

resort and for as short a period as possible.”

3       

Short title

(1)   

This Act may be cited as the Road Traffic (Congestion Reduction) Act 2008.

(2)   

This Act extends to England and Wales only.

 
 

 

 
contents
 
House of Commons home page Houses of Parliament home page House of Lords home page search page enquiries

© Parliamentary copyright 2008
Revised 12 June 2008