HL Deb 03 March 1953 vol 180 cc930-2WA
EARL HOWE

asked Her Majesty's Government whether a traffic census has been held of the traffic passing through the following towns in 24 hours, separating goods traffic from private cars; and, if so, what the latest figures disclose: St. Albans, Markyate, Stevenage, Maidenhead, Biggleswade, Retford, Doncaster, Wetherby, High Wycombe, Great Missenden, Ashford, Maidstone, Ingatestone.

THE EARL OF SELKIRK

At only two of the places on the noble Earl's list, St. Albans and Markyate, has a 24-hour traffic census, separating commercial traffic from private cars, been held since before the war. On A6, south of St. Albans, the average figures each day for a period of three days in August, 1950, were 4,072 commercial vehicles and 5,611 private cars; at Markyate for one day in November, 1941, the figures were 3,057 commercial vehicles and 1,300 private cars; a special count of commercial vehicles only was taken at Markyate over a 16-hour day in April, 1952, and this gave the figure of 3,488 for the 16 hours.

A 24-hour census was taken at Ashford, Kent, by a recording machine over 63 days in November, December and January this winter, and the average number of vehicles a day was 4,282. At Stevenage, a special count was taken for one hour from 4 to 5 p.m. on a day in January this year, and for this hour the figures were 381 commercial vehicles and 520 private cars.

Special counts for periods varying between 11 and 16 hours each day have been taken since 1946 at or near some of the other places on the list, without differentiating between types of vehicles, giving the following average figures for each day. Details are as follows:

On A4 at a point west of Slough, not far from Maidenhead, in September, 1949, 2,178 (16 hours);

At Biggleswade, in September, 1952, 3,194 (12 hours);

At Retford, in August, 1946, 2,130 (14 hours);

At High Wycombe, in September, 1949, 3,931 (16 hours);

At Great Missenden, in September, 1948, 990 (16 hours);

On A12, on the London side of Chelmsford, not far from Ingatestone, in September, 1950, 2,930 (11 hours).

No recent information is available for Doncaster, Wetherby or Maidstone.

House adjourned at nineteen minutes before five o'clock