§ Mr. Redmondasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he is aware of the standard practice employed in Western Germany whereby when roadworks are being undertaken on part of one carriageway of an autobahn use is made of a lane of the other carriageway in order to prevent unnecessary congestion on the carriageway being repaired; and whether he will give consideration to adopting this practice on English motorways making use of the paved crossovers in the central reservation already provided.
§ Mr. Graham PageYes. This practice is already adopted where conditions are appropriate.
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§ Mr. Redmondasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what factors are taken into consideration when estimating the effect on traffic of proposed roadworks; and whether the estimated cost of any congestion is considered in relation to the timing of the roadworks.
§ Mr. Graham PageContractors carrying out roadworks are expected to phase them so as to cause as little inconvenience to traffic as practicable but it is not usually possible to avoid some interference with traffic when improvements are being made to an existing road; such short-term disadvantages—including the cost of congestion—are normally small compared with the long-term economic benefits of the improvement from reduction in travelling time, vehicle operating costs and accidents.