§ Mr. Lathamasked the Secretary of State for Transport why a substantial section of the outside fast lane of the north bound carriageway of the M1 was coned off between 39W 10.30 pm and 11 pm on Tuesday 9 February between junctions 13 and 14 approaching junction 14, although no work was in progress there, no plant or materials were being stored and there was no evidence of the surface having been touched recently in any way.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeThe length of the M1 in question had been coned off in preparation for work due to start early on the following day. The coning was done the night before because traffic flows are always lower at night and lanes can be taken out of service during this off-peak period without disrupting traffic.
§ Mr. Lathamasked the Secretary of State for Transport whether he will ensure that it is a standing instruction within his Department that no sections of motorways or trunk roads should be coned off when no work is in progress there, unless either the start of such work is to take place within one hour of the road being coned or the condition of the surface makes it imperative to close the section; and whether he will make a statement on his policy on this matter.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeI seek to ensure that motorway or trunk road lanes are not taken out of service without good reason. However, it is often easier and safer to cone off a stretch of road when traffic flows are low, for example, during the night. This may well involve a gap of more than one hour between coning and the start of works, but there should be little or no disruption to traffic.
§ Mr. Lathamasked the Secretary of State for Transport whether he will set out the procedures whereby complaints may be made by individual members of the public regarding the extent and duration of repair works on motorways and trunk roads; what steps are being taken by his Department to minimise inconvenience to road users in that particular case; and to whom such complaints should be addressed.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeI am very conscious of the delays caused to traffic by maintenance work on motorways and the Department is constantly striving to find ways of reducing them. A number of new measures are being introduced this year, including improved arrangements for managing the traffic when lanes have to be closed.
Complaints by individual members of the public about specific motorway or trunk road maintenance operations should be addressed to the Director (Transport) at the relevant regional office of the Departments of the Environment and Transport.
§ Mr. Lathamasked the Secretary of State for Transport how many miles of carriageway of the M1, on the latest day for which records are immediately available were closed to traffic because of road works; what proportion this represented of the total mileage of the motorway; and what steps were taken to reduce inconvenience to road users.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeDuring the early hours of 12 February, the latest days for which records are available, the southbound carriageway of the M1 was closed for a length of six miles between junction 5 and junction 7. This was to enable part of the MI widening works between junction 5 and 8 to proceed. The length closed represents about 3 per cent. of the total length of the M1. An alternative route for motorists was arranged via A41, A40540W and M10. As the closure was at night when traffic flows were low and the alternative route was along high standard roads, the inconvenience to road users was minimal.