§ Mr. Tim Smithasked the Secretary of State for Transport why no count of traffic on the M40 between the M25 and Beaconsfield has been undertaken since March 1984; what steps he has taken to assess the reliability of the figures given in the reply to the hon. Member for Beaconsfield of 10 April, Official Report, columns 160–2; if he will take steps to install automatic counting equipment on the section of the M40 to the west of the M25; if he will now arrange for an immediate traffic count to be undertaken on this section of the M40; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Peter BottomleyThe basis of my answer on 10 April was an estimate of traffic flows for December 1985, before the remaining parts of M4–M25 interchange were opened.
A count took place on 12 May. Current flows are now significantly higher. The revised figures are given in the table:
Current Flow (average two-way 24-hour flow over 7-days) Forecasts for the year 2000 (average two-way 24-hour flow over 5 days) Vehicles per day Without M40 extension Vehicles per day With M40 extension Vehicles per day 61,000 77,000–90,000 91,200–107,200 Flows on the adjoining section from Beaconsfield to Wycombe East are likely to have increased similarly.
The detector loops of the Buckinghamshire county council's automatic count equipment at Hedgerley are no longer reliable. The Department will install new loops soon.