§ 38. Mr. Gwilym Robertsasked the Minister of Transport what study he has made of the effectiveness of the motorway system; and what plans he has for the construction of east to west motorways.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeEach new motorway scheme is subject to a full cost bene-290W fit analysis, and there are regular traffic counts on motorways. There are no plans for motorways other than those already in the programme.
§ 54. Mr. Higginsasked the Minister of Transport if he will estimate the costs of motorway maintenance in each of the five years from 1980–81.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeThe figure included in Cmnd. 7746 for the maintenance of trunk roads and motorways in England during 1980–81 was £92.4 million. Provisions for future years will be the subject of a further White Paper. The balance of expenditure between trunk road construction and maintenance is being kept under review.
§ 57. Mr. Hardyasked the Minister of Transport if he will take action to improve the flow of traffic on motorways where repair and maintenance work has caused lengthy and wasteful delays in recent months; and if he expects these delays to be lengthened as a result of his Department's policies on roads expenditure.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeWe seek to ensure that all reasonable measures are taken to maximise traffic flow whilst maintenance works are in progress on motorways but some delays are sometimes inevitable.
An increasing programme of work is necessary during the next few years to keep our motorways in the condition necessary for safe use, and expenditure on trunk road maintenance will remain substantial. We shall continue to make every effort to minimise the traffic disturbance which these works can cause.