§ Lord Brabazon of Taraasked Her Majesty's Government:
How many cars travel on the M4 between Junctions 4 and 2 on an average weekday; and how is that number spread over the day. [HL2863]
§ Lord WhittyMonitoring of vehicles was undertaken for several months before the recent opening of the bus lane between Junctions 3 and 2 of the M4. Total traffic counts are available at 500m intervals between Junctions 4 and 2 but traffic counts by vehicle class are only available for the section of carriageway which incorporates the bus lane between Junction 3 and Junction 2.
On average some 74,000 vehicles travel between Junction 4 and Junction 3 each weekday. Some 54,000 vehicles travel between Junction 3 and Junction 2 each day, and of these about 44,000 are either cars or short wheelbase vans.
During the morning peak period eastbound flows between Junction 3 and Junction 2 are up to 65 cars per minute, with up to 60 cars per minute during the evening peak. Between peak periods the eastbound flow varies between 30 and 50 cars per minute.
§ Lord Brabazon of Taraasked Her Majesty's Government:
What was the average time taken for a car to travel between Junction 4 and Junction 2 of the M4 at weekday peak time before the introduction of the bus lane; and what it is now. [HL2862]
52WA
§ Lord WhittyVehicle speeds have to be measured over a period of time before a meaningful average journey time can be calculated. Monitoring was undertaken for several months before the opening of the bus lane and continued after the bus lane opened. Information on average speed is not available for different classes of vehicle.
Before the introduction of the bus lane the average journey time for a vehicle joining the M4 at Junction 4 and travelling in lane 2 before leaving at Junction 2 was estimated as 12.4 minutes over the periods 06.30 to 09.30 and 17.30 to 20.30 hours.
Figures for average journey time with the bus lane in operation will be made available when sufficient data have been collected to obtain consistent results.