§ Lord Melchettasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will state the results of the latest 16-hour traffic count on A.34 in the Whitway area, and the predicted traffic flow based on the latest traffic forecasts.
§ The Earl of AvonMany counts are made during a year. The Leitch Report recommended that May was one of the most suitable months for recording traffic flow. The recorded traffic flow on the section of A.34 in the Whitway area during a period of 16 hours on a day in May 1981 was 11,100 vehicles. The predicted traffic flow for the proposed new route, based on the department's memorandumNational Road Traffic Forecasts (July 1980), is within the range 14,000 to 18,000 vehicles per 16-hour day in May 2001. For August 2001, for which the scheme is being designed the forecast flow is within the range 17,000 to 21,000 vehicles per 16-hour day.