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2 Apr 2008 : Column 1029W—continued
Road Traffic
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what the average delay on motorways and trunk roads was for (a) all journeys and (b) the 10 per cent. most delayed journeys in each region in each year since 1997; [191814]
(2) which routes accounted for the most delayed journeys on motorways and trunk roads in each year since 1997; and what the average delay on each of these routes was in each of those years. [191815]
Mr. Tom Harris: Figures for total and average vehicle delay for individual routes on England’s motorways and trunk roads have been placed in the House Libraries. These present delays in respect of all journeys and the worst 10 per cent. of journeys in each year since 2004-05. The earliest available data are for the period August 2004 to July 2005 and the latest for January 2007 to December 2007. Data before 2004-05 are not held on this basis.
These figures represent average daytime delays (6.00 am to 8.00 pm) on the 91 routes currently used for monitoring performance on the strategic road network. Figures are presented on a rolling year basis.
Delay is calculated as the difference between observed journey time and a reference journey time (the time that could theoretically be achieved when the traffic is free flowing).
Figures for average delays on motorways and trunk roads for individual regions are not calculated on this basis.
Roads: Accidents
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what research has been (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated by her Department on the number of (i) fatal, (ii) serious and (iii) minor road accidents caused by the driver using on a mobile telephone; and if she will make a statement; [198673]
(2) how many road accidents were caused by the driver using a mobile telephone in each of the last two years for which information is available; and how many (a) males and (b) females (i) were killed, (ii) were seriously injured and (iii) received minor injuries, broken down by (A) driver, (B) front seat passenger and (C) rear seat passenger. [198674]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department has not commissioned research into the numbers of accidents caused by a driver using a mobile phone and is unaware of research specifically into the numbers of accidents. The Department is aware of research available elsewhere into the risks posed by the use of a mobile phone while driving. That is summarised in sections 5.201 to 5.214 of the report (published in 2000) of the Independent Expert Group on Mobile Phones (the Stewart Report) on “Mobile Phones and Health”—available on-line at:
Contributory factor data recorded by police officers in their statistical returns to the Department has indicated there were 306 reported personal injury road accidents with ‘driver using mobile phone’ in 2005. In 2006, this figure was 345.
The numbers of (a) males and (b) females who were (i) killed, (ii) seriously injured and (iii) slightly injured in personal injury road accidents, reported at the scene by a police officer, involving ‘driver using mobile phone’ as a contributory factor, by casualty class in 2005 and 2006 are given in the table. Pedestrian casualties are not included in the table.
The contributory factor ‘Driver using mobile phone’ includes ‘hand held’ and ‘hands free’ phones.
Roads: Finance
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the total budget allocated to major road schemes is for (a) 2007-08, (b) 2008-09, (c) 2009-10 and (d) 2010-11. [195924]
Mr. Tom Harris: The Highways Agency’s total budget for delivery of major improvement schemes in 2007-08 was £969 million.
The Highways Agency’s budget is set annually and so only available for 2008-09. The Highways Agency’s 2008-09 budget for major improvement schemes is £1,049 million.
Roads: Rural Areas
Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps her Department is taking to reduce deaths and injuries on rural roads. [198378]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The majority of the Department’s road safety policies will have an impact on the number of deaths and serious injuries on rural roads. In addition there are a number of policies specifically aimed at the rural road network.
The Department is investing £8 million in a Rural Road Safety Demonstration Project which will be introduced from 1 April 2007 and continue for three years.
The Rural Road Safety Demonstration Project is intended to demonstrate good practice for local highway authorities in developing and implementing an area wide, data-led, strategy for addressing road casualty reduction in rural areas. It is intended that good practice guidance will be developed from the knowledge gained during the project, and that this will be disseminated to other highway authorities.
The Department also published guidance to local authorities on setting local speed limits in August 2006. This requests local traffic authorities to review speed limits on their A and B roads, and implement any necessary changes by 2011.
Lower speed limits are encouraged where the evidence or characteristics of the road warrant this. But equally local traffic authorities should consider increasing limits if it is warranted and can be done safely.
Single European Sky Initiative
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps she is taking to promote the introduction of the Single European Sky initiative. [197577]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The Government support the Single European Sky (SES) and the associated Single European Sky Air Traffic Management Research (SESAR) Project and are working to ensure that the objectives of these two efforts are fully met.
The UK is an active member, through both the Department for Transport (DfT) and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), of the Single Sky Committee (SSC) which was established in 2004 to give strategic direction. Senior officials from the Department also participated in the High Level Group, which was created by the European Transport Commissioner, to look at the future of the European Aviation Regulatory Framework; the Government fully support its ten recommendations and action plan that were published in July 2007.
The European Commission are currently working on the drafting of a second package of SES legislation and both the CAA and relevant divisions of the DfT are engaged in that work. The Government will closely scrutinise the proposals for this second package when they are issued later this year.
Somerset County Council
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what meetings her Department has had with the Executive of Somerset County Council in the last three years. [193980]
Mr. Tom Harris: The Department has met with officers at Somerset county council on a number of occasions over the last three years to discuss transport and operational issues. The following included the attendance of representatives from the Council's Executive:
24 July 2006—Presentation to Somerset County Council at Road Safety Workshop.
In addition members of the Council's Executive may also have been present at meetings over the last three years between the Department for Transport and the South West Regional Assembly or other regional partnership bodies.
Southern: Trains
Sir Malcolm Rifkind: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether she has made an estimate of the number of dual-voltage trains that would be needed to operate both the Watford to Brighton service and the Thameslink service. [198245]
Mr. Tom Harris: 109 dual-voltage trains will be required to operate the Thameslink service from March 2009. If the Watford-Brighton service were to be retained in its present form, and if the resources were to be set aside for that service, the requirement would be eight trains.
Speed Limits: Carbon Emissions
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimates her Department has made of the changes in carbon dioxide emissions attributed to the variable speed limits in force on the M25 in each year since the scheme was introduced. [197571]
Mr. Tom Harris: The change in carbon dioxide emissions was estimated as part of the evaluation of the M25 J15-16 controlled motorway scheme. The variable speed limits were operational in the morning (7am to 11am) and evening (3pm to 7pm) peak periods. The assessment showed a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions of 4.5 per cent. on the northbound section and a reduction of 2.9 per cent. on the southbound section during the peak hours. This translates into a potential weekday saving measured over a calendar year of 1,184 tonnes of carbon dioxide for J15-16.
Changes in other years and on other sections are expected to be similar.
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what account the advanced motorway signalling and traffic management feasibility study took of the impact of carbon dioxide emissions of active traffic management operating at (a) 50 mph and (b) 60 mph; and if she will make a statement; [197572]
(2) what estimate she has made of the effect on carbon dioxide emissions if the maximum speed for hard shoulder running in the modelling for the advanced motorway signalling and traffic management feasibility study were reduced from 60 mph to 50 mph. [197573]
Mr. Tom Harris: All traffic modelling of the impacts of hard shoulder running undertaken as part of the advanced motorway signalling and traffic management feasibility study was carried out on the basis of a 60 mph speed limit during operation of the hard shoulder as a running lane.
The additional modelling undertaken to ascertain the effects on emissions of the smoothing of the traffic flow brought about by the imposition of controlled lower speed limits and hard shoulder running was done using average speed emissions curves based on actual data collected during the M42 pilot, which operated a 50 mph limit for hard shoulder running. It was not possible to provide a comparison with a 60 mph limit.
Following detailed safety assessment, hard shoulder running with a 60 mph speed limit is the standard to be adopted for future hard shoulder running schemes, starting with the M42 where this has been operational since 18 March. As a larger data set for hard shoulder running becomes available, the speed emissions relationships will be reviewed.
Further detail on the modelling undertaken is set out in the advanced motorway signalling and traffic management feasibility study report and technical annex, which are available on the DfT website at:
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