Western Environmental Improvement Route (Hansard, 24 February 1989)

Mr. Robert G. Hughes
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if the cost of WEIR is justified on economic grounds.
811W

§ Mr. Peter Bottomley
The data available so far indicates that the quantifiable benefits would cover its cost. In addition, there would be significant environmental benefits in the Earls Court corridor.

Mr. Robert G. Hughes
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many vehicles use the Earls Court one-way system; how many use other parallel routes in the area; and what estimates he has prepared of what these figures would be if the western environmental improvement route were complete.

§ Mr. Peter Bottomley
Some 45,000 vehicles use the Earls Court one-way system in an average 18-hour day, and 60,000 use parallel routes. If WEIR is completed, it is estimated that these figures would be reduced to 20,000 and 45,000 respectively.

Mr. Robert G. Hughes
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether WEIR is designed to cater for additional traffic in the Earls Court corridor and its surroundings.

§ Mr. Peter Bottomley
The forecasts shown at the recent exhibition held in conjunction with the public consultation exercise show how traffic flows would change if WEIR were completed now. They assume there would be no overall increase in traffic. There are increases on some roads and decreases in others, some of which are outside the study area. The increases occur in the main on roads better able to carry extra traffic including WEIR itself.

Mr. Robert G. Hughes
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many personal injury accidents occurred in the Earls Court corridor on average, over the last three years; and what estimates he has prepared of how many would be expected to occur if WEIR were completed.

§ Mr. Peter Bottomley
It is estimated that construction of WEIR should reduce the annual average number of accidents in the corridor from 350 to 300.

Mr. Robert G. Hughes
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many properties would be expected to experience a noise increase of more than five decibels if WEIR were built; and how many would experience an equivalent reduction.

§ Mr. Peter Bottomley
The figures: increase about 1,000; decrease about 3,000.