HC Deb 25 October 1990 vol 178 cc246-7W
Mr. Flynn

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what information he has on the effects of traffic-calming measures on road accident levels.

Mr. Chope

The final report of the Urban Safety Projects which was published in May (TRRL report RR263) indicated that traffic calming measures can reduce casualties in residential areas by an average of 13 per cent. If this approach were applied nationally approximately 5 per cent. of all casualties would be saved.

Mr. Nicholas Winterton

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many road traffic accidents occurred in the Macclesfield constituency in the first six months of 1990; how many of these involved(a) minor injuries, (b) serious injuries and (c) fatal injuries; and what are the comparable figures for the same six-month period in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Mr. Chope

The figures requested for the constituency of Macclesfield are available only at disproportionate cost. The figures below relate to the borough of Macclesfield and include accidents reported to the police in the first six months of each year. The data for 1990 are provisional.

Road Accidents in the borough of Macclesfield (January-June)
Fatal Serious Slight Total
1990 10 59 311 380
1989 7 75 293 375
1988 7 55 329 391
1987 3 56 277 336
1986 15 50 286 351
1985 7 47 273 327

Mr. Nicholas Winterton

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement outlining the circumstances of each of the road traffic accidents which took place in the Macclesfield constituency during the first six months of 1990 and which led to fatal injuries; and if he will indicate in each case what steps have been taken by the appropriate authorities to minimise future accidents.

Mr. Chope

Information on the detailed circumstances of particular accidents is not held centrally. Investigation of road accidents is the responsibility of the police. Devising appropriate remedial measures is the responsibility of the highway authority. The Department has a continuing programme of engineering measures to improve accident blackspots on trunk roads, as do local highway authorities for their roads. From the next financial year funds from central Government will be made available through transport supplementary grant for engineering remedies on all local roads.