Forestry Commission Roads

HC Deb 19 June 1985 vol 81 c125W

29. Mr. Andrew F. Bennett

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement about the maintenance of Forestry Commission roads.

Mr. John MacKay

With a few exceptions, for example, forest drives, the majority of the Forestry Commission's 16,000 km of forest roads are built for use only by the commission's and contractor's vehicles, although the public are normally permitted to use them on foot. Some 9,000 km of roads are currently used by heavy vehicles, such as haulage lorries, while the remainder are used by light vehicles and harvesting equipment.

The roads are maintained to a standard sufficient to ensure the safety of legitimate road users; to maintain the flow of traffic at appropriate speeds and to keep down vehicle maintenance costs. The incidence of road maintenance — which costs the commission some £4 million per annum — varies according to a number of factors such as the traffic flow, the weather and the materials employed in the formation of the road.