HC Deb 15 November 2000 vol 356 cc241-6WH 1.30 pm
Mr. Patrick McLoughlin (West Derbyshire)

I last raised the issue of road safety in Derbyshire with the Minister on 20 June, when I expressed my concern about the dramatic number of fatal accidents that we have seen on Derbyshire's roads over a six-month period. The latest figures show that there have been some 59 fatalities.

It is incumbent on all hon. Members to consider the subject of road safety and to raise concerns about specific danger areas. For that reason, I want to return to two issues relating to the A50, which runs through part of the southern end of my constituency and has become extremely busy—it is now, in effect, the link road between the M1 and the M6. It has about 38,500 traffic movements a day, and that figure is growing at a rate that is to be expected on such a busy road.

The crossing at Sudbury is the only crossing on the A50 from the M1 to the M6 that is an unmarked crossing going through a central reservation. There is a big pedestrian crossing a mile or two further down, which ensures that people can visit Fosten prison safely. However, people in my constituency who have to use the Aston crossing cannot do so safely. On 1 September this year, I attended a protest when a number of local residents temporarily brought the road to a standstill to demonstrate the great problems that they have in crossing it.

The crossing is just a gap in the central reservation for people who wish to cross from both sides to get to the bus stop, which is the sole reason for using it. I visited the site on Saturday with June Smith, Christine Hickson and Bob Jeffreys, the chairman of Sudbury parish council. The speed of the traffic that went past us was frightening. It is unacceptable to have to try to cross the road in those conditions: something must be done, as a matter of urgency, to put that right. All the indications that I have received so far suggest that there is no intention of doing so.

I received a letter from the Highways Agency, which states: We are considering a longer-term solution for this section of the A50 that would provide a two-level junction. That would include facilities for pedestrians to cross the A50 safely without conflicting with dual carriageway traffic. We have started the process by asking our Agents to investigate matters further, though this will take some time to complete. I am worried about the length of time that it will take to improve the road. I know that several hon. Members use it, but I doubt whether any have noticed the existence of the crossing. It is extremely dangerous, and I hope that the Minister will tell me that he will instruct the Highways Agency to look into this problem as a matter of urgency.

On the A38, two sets of pedestrian traffic lights have been installed at the Markeaton island and the Little Eaton island. The Sudbury crossing deserves at least that, as a move in the right direction. We should not be told that we have to wait endlessly while the Highways Agency investigates the whole area to consider whether further measures should be taken.

I should also like to discuss the new part of the bypass, known as the Doveridge bypass, which is the main part of the link road, and the noise on that road. I raised the issue with the Minister on 20 June, when I pointed out that much of the A50 goes through open countryside and has a whisper concrete surface. However, concrete has been used on a small section of the road, which goes through Doveridge, and the noise increase in that area is amazing. As soon as one hits the concrete surface, the noise level rises. It seems unbelievable to me that Connect, who built the road, was allowed to lay a noisy road surface on the most populated stretch of the A50. I asked the Minister to send a strong message to Connect to consider the issue and make changes. The problem has a tremendous effect not only on the people who live in Doveridge, who hear the noise of the road, but on people living in Somersal Herbert and Marston Montgomery.

On 20 June, the Minister said: I come now to the problem of … the A50 … The hon. Gentleman will be aware that the Highways Agency has a programme to quieten particularly noisy stretches of road. The A50 Doveridge bypass was not included in the list of most pressing cases, but in view of local concerns, there is no reason why it should not be assessed retrospectively in line with the original criteria. The Highways Agency is considering whether the circumstances at Doveridge warrant further noise analysis as a precursor to early maintenance work, which in turn could reduce the … noise from the road.—[Official Report, 20 June 2000; Vol. 352, c. 23–26WH.] Having pressed the Department and waited for a reply, on 19 July I received a letter from the Under-Secretary of State, the noble Lord Whitty, which states: Turning to noise, at the time the Doveridge Bypass was planned, brushed concrete was an approved surfacing material for roads carrying up to 75,000 vehicles per day. The then specifications allowed a range of surfacing to ensure best value, bearing in mind the local availability of construction materials. The quieter surface materials now used were still on trial at that time and, unfortunately, were not adopted in time to be used in this case. My attention was drawn to a campaign about the A30, which has a similar surface to the A50. I tabled some parliamentary questions to the Minister, which he answered on 27 July. He said that noise tests were being done on the A30 and that its surface was going to be changed. I then asked him to include the A50 in that scheme. On 27 July, he answered: I have asked the Highways Agency to draw up a programme for all such trunk roads for agreement. The A50 at Doveridge will be included in this programme. No detailed estimate of the cost of resurfacing …. at Doveridge exists.—[Official Report, 27 July 2000; Vol. 354, c. 787W.]

I very much welcome, and was pleased to receive, that answer from the Minister, because it took us forward in a constructive way. However, as often happens, I subsequently received a further letter from the noble Lord Whitty on 12 October, which states: The A50 Doveridge noise study is progressing well but is taking longer than anticipated to complete. Until we have the results of the study we are unable to indicate the priority cases for treatment.

My constituents were pleased when they heard that there was a good chance of the A50 being resurfaced. However, they were worried that that was being discussed in the context of the Government's 10-year road transport plan. They rightly want to know where they stand in that 10-year plan. On their behalf, I should like to ask how it is being put together, where the road is in the lists, and when they can expect some relief from the tremendous noise level increase.

I hope that the Minister will tell us that he will instruct the Highways Agency to consider the unsafe crossing to which I have referred. I also hope that he can tell us how the work is progressing on the noise studies on the A50, and when he expects a resurfaced road to be laid through the Doveridge section.

1.40 pm
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (Mr. Keith Hill)

I congratulate the hon. Member for West Derbyshire (Mr. McLoughlin) on securing another debate on the A50 trunk road. He mentioned my reference to A50 noise during the Adjournment debate on 20 June. As he knows, a 30-year design, build, finance and operate concession for the A50 Stoke-Derby link was awarded to Connect A50 Ltd., a private consortium, in May 1996. Part of the consortium's remit was to construct the Doveridge bypass. I know that the hon. Gentleman supported the scheme, which provided traffic relief to the village of Doveridge and was fully opened to traffic on 6 February 1998.

The specification at the time allowed the main carriageway of the bypass to be constructed in concrete. I am aware of local concerns about the traffic noise created by the popularity of the route linking the M1 and the M6. The Highways Agency and Connect A50 held a public meeting on 21 November 1998, which the hon. Gentleman attended. They explained and clarified the decisions taken on design and construction at that time. Connect A50 is required to operate and maintain the A50 Stoke-Derby link until the end of the concession period in 2026. There will almost certainly be a need to resurface the Doveridge bypass in that period. As it is a new road in good condition, and given the condition of the pavement, that will not be necessary until after 2010.

I am pleased that the hon. Gentleman acknowledged the Government's commitment to surface all concrete trunk roads with low-noise surfacing in our 10-year plan for transport. My noble Friend Lord Whitty, the Minister responsible for roads, has decided to consult widely to develop criteria for prioritising the resurfacing of all concrete roads. All local authorities will be consulted in the next two months, and the consultation letter will be published on the Highways Agency website. The Government will study the comments received and finalise the criteria by March 2001. I expect a list of those sites likely to be resurfaced in the next three years to be available early in the spring. I shall ensure that the Highways Agency keeps the hon. Gentleman fully informed of developments.

The hon. Gentleman made a point about road safety. Sudbury is located at the western end of the FostonHatton-Hilton bypass, which opened in 1994 and upgraded that section of the route to dual carriageway standard. With the opening of the Derby southern bypass in September 1997 and the Doveridge bypass in February 1998, we became aware of increasing local concerns about road safety due to traffic speeds at the A50-A515 Sudbury roundabout. As a result, the Highways Agency was instructed to introduce several local safety measures in spring 1998. They resulted in an observed improvement in safety at the roundabout, and were well received by the local community.

The Highways Agency was also instructed to commission a further investigation into options for additional improvements, especially regarding the difficulties experienced both by pedestrians crossing the trunk road to the west of the Sudbury roundabout in the small hamlet of Aston, and by drivers accessing the roundabout from the Aston lane side road. A report was produced in August 2000 and a copy was supplied to the chairman of Sudbury parish council for his consideration. The main conclusions were that in the five years to December 1999 there were no accidents that involved pedestrians; the measures that were introduced in spring 1998 have been successful in improving safety and remain so; queue lengths and waiting times at the roundabout are not excessive; and pedestrian movements, even allowing for suppressed demand, are very low.

The report therefore recommended that additional modifications could be made to signing so as to increase drivers' awareness of pedestrian movements and to further encourage lower speeds, and that monitoring of the site should be continued to identify further options for improvement. I have asked the Highways Agency to organise a meeting with the parish council and local residents to discuss the report's findings, consider possible options for the future and report back to me. That meeting will take place on 28 November.

I have also asked the Highways Agency to commission a study of roundabout junctions along the Stoke-Derby route to ensure consistent standards. The study will commence in March 2001 and, when I have received the results, I shall consider the need for major scheme construction within the 10-year transport plan. I recognise, for example, that full-grade separation at junctions could incorporate facilities that would enable pedestrians and side road traffic to cross the A50 without coming into conflict with through trunk road traffic.

Mr. McLoughlin

Increased signing or new signing will not be a significant enough solution to the problem. That is not acceptable, nor should my constituents be asked to cross the road when the amount of traffic is increasing. Several measures have been imposed for pedestrians in other cases, but that has not happened in the case under discussion. That has been due partly to the fact that the whole road was not completed in one go, but was built in bits, which has led to such a huge increase in traffic. I urge the Minister to consider the problem seriously. The days are now getting shorter and the traffic volumes are tremendous. June Smith told me that it once took her 20 minutes to cross the road. That is not acceptable.

Mr. Hill

I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for his further exposition of the difficulties experienced by his constituents. He is right to press as hard as possible for a solution to the problem. I hope that I have given him some reassurance that the Government, via the Highways Agency, are seriously considering the problem. There will be an opportunity for the parish council and local residents to discuss matters further with the Highways Agency at the meeting to be held later this month.

Finally, 1 advise the hon. Gentleman that full grade-separated standards, with ample facilities to cater for the safety of pedestrians and other road users, will be fully considered within the Government's route management strategy, and that implementation of the strategy will deal with the safety concerns at the locations to be discussed. I will make it my business to let the hon. Gentleman know when we are ready to announce the route management strategy for the A50, which will incorporate the whole length from the M1 to the M6.

Question put and agreed to.

Adjourned accordingly at twelve minutes to Two o'clock.