§ Mr. AltonTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what guidelines his Department issues for the inclusion of cyclists in traffic counts.
§ Mr. Atkins[holding answer 13 March 1990]: For the purposes of the national traffic census the Department's standard rules on traffic counting are those published in statistics bulletin (88)32 "Description of Vehicles for Traffic Counting Purposes"—a copy is in the Library. Pedal cycles and motor cycles are included as separate categories of vehicle.
The same guidelines are used in the Department's traffic appraisal manual, though for most cost-benefit analyses prepared for the Department data on cycle and motor cycle traffic are not required and, therefore, may not be collected.
§ Mr. AltonTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether his Department undertakes traffic counts at weekends.
§ Mr. Atkins[holding answer 13 March 1990]: Yes. In particular, regular weekend counts classified by type of vehicle are carried out at 163 sites throughout Great 235W Britain for the national traffic census. A number of other sites are monitored at weekends by automatic traffic data counting systems which collect unclassified data on the total flow of vehicles.