§ Mr. ButcherTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if he will investigate the phasing of traffic lights on the A40/Westway junctions between the London boundary and the Euston road;
(2) if the phasing of traffic lights on the A40/Westway junctions within London are part of a traffic management scheme to prevent traffic from entering or leaving Central London.
§ Mr. NorrisThese are operational matters for the Highways Agency. I have asked the chief executive to write to my hon. Friend.
Letter from Lawrie Haynes to Mr. John Butcher dated 31 October 1994:
You raised two questions in the House of Commons in July (numbers 129 and 135) about the phasing of traffic signals at the A40/Westway junctions. These have been passed to me for reply 960W as they raise operational matters for which the Highways Agency is responsible.I would first confirm that there is no traffic management scheme in operation on the A40/Westway junctions to prevent traffic entering or leaving Central London. Congestion does occur at these junctions but this is due entirely to the volume of traffic passing through them. Essential roadworks such as those recently undertaken along the A40, M25 to the A312, add to the congestion.With regard to the actual phasing of the traffic signals, those at Long Lane have been bypassed by the improvement scheme which opened recently. The rest of the traffic signals on the A40 are within the North Circular Road and operate under Urban Traffic Control. This is a computer system which alters the timing of the signals at various times of the day so as to minimise the overall delay to traffic.The Metropolitan Police can override this computer system and introduce alternative (contingency) plans if the level of traffic is severe and they consider it necessary.