§ Mr. SpearingTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what arrangements he has made for road maintenance likely to add to traffic congestion in Greater London to be undertaken only at night, giving current or recent examples of any such practice.
Mr. Bottomley[holding answer 26 April 1989]: Each case is considered individually after consultation with the police and the London boroughs. Peak-hour working is avoided wherever practicable.
Consideration is given to night time working at locations where traffic flows are high throughout the day and at weekends.
Recent examples include: carriageway closures on M4 for communication upgrading; resurfacing and annual maintenance work on the A406 north circular road; and lane closures for weekly maintenance in the Blackwall tunnel (southbound).
Night-time working may be precluded because of safety considerations and disturbance to residents. Recent maintenance closures have been publicised in departmental press notices.
§ Mr. SpearingTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what are the numbers of persons, and their respective Civil Service grades, who are employed in his Department to discharge the traffic management responsibilities hitherto the duty of the Greater London Council; what are the names and duties of each unit; and what standing arrangements now exist or are planned for regular meetings between officials of these units, together, with representatives of the London borough councils and the Metropolitan police, to review incidents of congestion and to plan for effective traffic management consequent on known future events, including road works.
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§ Mr. Peter Bottomley[holding answer 26 April 1989]: The Department has assumed the highways and traffic powers of the former Greater London council only in respect of 70 miles of metropolitan roads which are now trunk roads. It is not practicable to identify the numbers and grades of persons employed in the London Regional Office (Transport) on those roads from among their general responsibilities for trunk roads in London.
At the request of the London boroughs, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State is responsible for the traffic signals and urban traffic control in London. The corporation of the City of London acts as agent. It staffs and maintains the traffic control systems unit as a separate entity within the local government environment. Officials of the Department hold quarterly management liaison meetings with the unit and representatives of the Association of London Authorities, the London Boroughs Association and the Metropolitan and City police. In addition, the unit has regular monthly meetings with the Metropolitan police to review contingency plans for traffic incidents and planned events such as roadworks, bridge closures, and so on, and to plan for effective traffic management in those circumstances.
§ Mr. SpearingTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport if, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Newham, South on 13 January,Official Report, column 800, concerning causes of major incidents of traffic congestion, he will now monitor such incidents and, in conjunction with London Buses Limited and the respective unit of the Metropolitan police, record the incidence and extent of delay compared to normal free flow conditions and keep a record of any known cause, or contributory cause, leading to each major incident of congestion.
§ Mr. Peter Bottomley[holding answer 26 April 1989]: We are considering how it might be done.
We keep in touch with London Buses Limited and the Metropolitan police on congestion points on trunk roads. The Metropolitan police make such arrangements as they consider necessary to maintain the safe and efficient flow of traffic in the case of day-to-day incidents and to be prepared for planned events.