§ Mr. Muddasked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will indicate the annual maintenance costs and anticipated accident cost savings of the guardrail being installed on the central reservation of the M1 in South Yorkshire and West Yorkshire under the present programme.
§ Mr. HoramSeparate figures are not available for the annual maintenance cost of this particular length of motorway safety fence, but it should be close to the national average of about £300 per mile. Savings of fatal and serious accidents should be achieved, possibly at the expense of less serious ones. We have no means of predicting accurately the overall cost saving, but would expect it to cover maintenance costs and contribute to capital cost.
§ Mr. Muddasked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will estimate, in absolute and percentage terms, the anticipated reduction in deaths and injuries and in the numbers of fatality and injury accidents as a consequence of the guardrail being installed on the central reservation of the M1 in South Yorkshire and West Yorkshire under the present programme.
§ Mr. HoramWe cannot, with any confidence of accuracy, predict in absolute or percentage terms what reduction in fatal and injury accidents is likely to occur. An early study suggested that savings of 9 per cent. of fatal accidents and 1 per cent. of serious accidents and some increase of less serious ones occurred due to the installation of central reserve safety fences on the M1.
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§ Mr. Muddasked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will specify the projected benefit-to-cost ratio of the guardrail installation on the central reservation of the M1 in South Yorkshire and West Yorkshire under the present programme.
§ Mr. HoramNo precise figures are available. Such evidence as exists suggests that fatal and serious accidents resulting from crossover collisions will to a considerable extent be prevented by the provision of central reserve safety fences.