§ Mr. Gwilym Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement following the first week of the new restrictions upon the Severn bridge; and whether he intends to suggest the adoption by motorists of alternative routes.
§ Mrs. ChalkerThe restrictions imposed from midnight 31 October inevitably led to some serious delays. I regret them, but I am glad to say that a more flexible and sensitive regime is being introduced from midnight 17 November. This will be carefully monitored. I hope that it will not normally require proposals for using alternative routes. However, alternative routes are available and signed for use if need be.
546Wsites. These particular works were completed on 5 November, traffic restored to both lanes and the cameras removed.
§ Mr. Marlowasked the Secretary of State for Transport what are the numbers of heavy vehicles passing three selected points on the M1 for each of the last three months and for those same months one, two and three years ago.
§ Mrs. ChalkerMy Department organises regular classified traffic counts of HGVs at only two sites on the M1 motorway, one in Hertfordshire and one in Derbyshire. The counts at both sites take place between 0600 and 2200 hours on one Saturday, Sunday and weekday every month—three days every month in all—so monthly figures are not available. The difference in traffic flow between weekdays and weekends is so marked that information is given separately for each day: