§ Mr. PawseyTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what are the current hourly traffic flow standards for(a) two-lane motorways and (b) three-lane motorways.
§ Mr. Peter BottomleyThe Department uses "design reference flows" rather than traffic flow standards when designing motorways. These indicate only the starting point for detailed economic and operational assessment of options.
The Department's design reference flows for a dual three-lane motorway range from 50,000 to 79,000 vehicles per annual average day in the design year (15 years after the road opens). Comparable figures for a two-lane motorway are 28,000 to 54,000 vehicles per day.
The capacity of roads is substantially greater than design reference flows.