§ 32. Mr. CranTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what studies have been undertaken by his Department as to the current extent of traffic congestion in urban areas in Britain; and whether he has any information as to the comparable situation 10 and 20 years ago.
§ Mr. Peter BottomleyAverage vehicle speeds are taken as an indicator of urban traffic congestion. In London surveys have been maintained since 1968. The results were published recently by my right hon. Friend in his "Statement on Transport in London." Copies have been placed in the Library. Comparable information is not available for other urban areas in Britain, though the Department carried out a series of studies of traffic speeds in 13 urban areas outside London in the 1960's and 1970's. The results showed the importance of limiting on-street parking density in the interest of securing good average traffic speeds during peak and non-peak hours.