§ Mr. Marlowasked the Minister of Transport whether the estimated cost of delays on the M1 between junctions 14 and 15 on summer Friday evenings in 1979 was greater than £60, which was the cost of removing and replacing cones.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeThe costs of delay caused by repair works on the M1 on summer Friday evenings would certainly exceed £60. But dismantling and re-establishing the necessary diversions would have involved far more than just altering the position of traffic cones. For example, extra police vehicles and manpower would be required to supervise the traffic during the period of up to two hours within which the carriageway was reduced to single lane whilst the cones were being removed. Where possible, motorways are cleared during times when works are not actually being carried out but the volume of traffic on the M1 in Northamptonshire rendered this impractical.