§ Mr. Higginsasked the Minister of Transport what studies have been made by his Department or the Transport and Road Research Laboratory on the use of queuing theory in reducing congestion on motorways where three lanes are reduced to two; and if he will consider whether the use of traffic lights at such points in peak periods for travel on an experimental basis could speed up traffic flows.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeThe study of congestion on motorways is not amenable to analytical queuing theory. Other, simulation and modelling, techniques using input data derived from observation are employed to assess ways of dealing with congestion arising from incidents and road works on motorways. The use of traffic lights in such circumstances would probably be counter-productive.