§ Mr. PawseyTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the maximum amount of traffic that can be handled in safety on the M1 south of Luton; and what are the present levels.
§ Mr. Peter BottomleyAccidents may be associated with any volume of traffic. As traffic increases on any particular section of road there is a steady lowering of the level of service and an increase in congestion. Particular local design features, together with driver behaviour, are much more significant in determining the risk of accident.
The average number of vehicles using the M1 south of Luton in 1988 was 122,000 per day.